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Time to change California drug laws
Richard Branson
Updated 6:07 pm, Monday, March 24, 2014
"The global war on drugs has failed." That's the first sentence of the executive summary of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a commission on which I serve. The commission was established to bring to the international level an informed, science-based discussion about humane and effective ways to reduce the harm caused by drugs. I am here in San
Francisco this week to talk about just that.
The war on drugs is a complete failure, with overwhelming effects for individuals and societies in every corner of the world. It has cost billions of dollars. More important, it has cost lives. The documentary film about the global war on drugs "Breaking the Taboo" lays out the reasons why we need a new approach to drug policy.
The fallout from the war on drugs threatens stability, security and development. Improving our drug policies is one of the key policy challenges of our time.
Happily, we are already seeing progressive signs of change in drug policies here in California. In 2012, we saw the "three strikes" reform secure a 2-to1 victory at the ballot box. We continue to see numerous polls showing that more than 70 percent of Californians support reducing penalties for all drug possessions, and more than 84 percent of people in the Golden State believe nonviolent drug offenders should not be crowded into California's already overflowing prisons.
It's something that San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón clearly recognizes, as he is implementing his own alternatives to incarceration, with prosecutions for possession of drugs reduced in San Francisco by almost 70 percent.
As we see a decline in prosecutions, we still are witnessing the cost of this war on drugs on minority communities. In California, for instance, young blacks use marijuana at lower rates than young whites, yet police in California continue to arrest more blacks than whites and in much greater numbers than their percentage of the population.
This racial profiling has to stop. It has to stop as people also need to consider the impact and ripple effect these arrests have on families and communities. Organizations such as Legal Services for Prisoners With Children, which works here in the Bay Area, are doing great work by addressing this as a civil and human rights issue, working with formerly incarcerated people, prisoners and their allies.
Legislation is key. California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill last year to reduce the criminal penalty for drug possession here from a felony to a misdemeanor, but I will be rallying behind groups such as the Drug Policy Alliance who is supporting in 2014 an effort to put this issue on the ballot, thus moving our drug policies toward a health-centered approach.
Drug use should be considered a health issue, and not a criminal issue. We need to cut wasteful spending and reduce life-long barriers that follow a drug conviction. We must seriously consider shifting resources away from criminalization, and move toward an approach based on health, harm reduction, cost-effectiveness and respect for human rights. We are seeing good signs of change of that here in California. Let that change continue. It's time to break the taboo.
Sir Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Group and sits on the board of the Global Commission on Drug Policy based in Geneva. Sundog Pictures will hold a special screening of "Breaking the Taboo" at 5.30pm on Tuesday at the New People Cinema, 1746 Post St., San Francisco.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Time-to-change-California-drug-laws-5345402.php
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Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Updated 6:07 pm, Monday, March 24, 2014
"The global war on drugs has failed." That's the first sentence of the executive summary of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a commission on which I serve. The commission was established to bring to the international level an informed, science-based discussion about humane and effective ways to reduce the harm caused by drugs. I am here in San
Francisco this week to talk about just that.
The war on drugs is a complete failure, with overwhelming effects for individuals and societies in every corner of the world. It has cost billions of dollars. More important, it has cost lives. The documentary film about the global war on drugs "Breaking the Taboo" lays out the reasons why we need a new approach to drug policy.
The fallout from the war on drugs threatens stability, security and development. Improving our drug policies is one of the key policy challenges of our time.
Happily, we are already seeing progressive signs of change in drug policies here in California. In 2012, we saw the "three strikes" reform secure a 2-to1 victory at the ballot box. We continue to see numerous polls showing that more than 70 percent of Californians support reducing penalties for all drug possessions, and more than 84 percent of people in the Golden State believe nonviolent drug offenders should not be crowded into California's already overflowing prisons.
It's something that San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón clearly recognizes, as he is implementing his own alternatives to incarceration, with prosecutions for possession of drugs reduced in San Francisco by almost 70 percent.
As we see a decline in prosecutions, we still are witnessing the cost of this war on drugs on minority communities. In California, for instance, young blacks use marijuana at lower rates than young whites, yet police in California continue to arrest more blacks than whites and in much greater numbers than their percentage of the population.
This racial profiling has to stop. It has to stop as people also need to consider the impact and ripple effect these arrests have on families and communities. Organizations such as Legal Services for Prisoners With Children, which works here in the Bay Area, are doing great work by addressing this as a civil and human rights issue, working with formerly incarcerated people, prisoners and their allies.
Legislation is key. California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill last year to reduce the criminal penalty for drug possession here from a felony to a misdemeanor, but I will be rallying behind groups such as the Drug Policy Alliance who is supporting in 2014 an effort to put this issue on the ballot, thus moving our drug policies toward a health-centered approach.
Drug use should be considered a health issue, and not a criminal issue. We need to cut wasteful spending and reduce life-long barriers that follow a drug conviction. We must seriously consider shifting resources away from criminalization, and move toward an approach based on health, harm reduction, cost-effectiveness and respect for human rights. We are seeing good signs of change of that here in California. Let that change continue. It's time to break the taboo.
Sir Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Group and sits on the board of the Global Commission on Drug Policy based in Geneva. Sundog Pictures will hold a special screening of "Breaking the Taboo" at 5.30pm on Tuesday at the New People Cinema, 1746 Post St., San Francisco.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Time-to-change-California-drug-laws-5345402.php
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Richard Branson
