Historic Drug Decriminalization Bill in Congress

This year is the 50th anniversary of President Nixon declaring the “war on drugs”, and now there's an historic opportunity to end it.

The Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA) is a newly introduced groundbreaking bill that would decriminalize drugs at the federal level and invest in alternative health-centered approaches.

Drug criminalization is ruining lives, driving the overdose crisis, and preventing us from treating drug use as the health issue it is.

It’s time to decriminalize drugs in the fight to dismantle 50 years of the failed drug war and repair its harms. Demand that your Members of Congress support the Drug Policy Reform Act.

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Your Message

Subject

Dear Representative/Senator,

Message Body

June 17th was the 50th anniversary of President Nixon declaring a “war on drugs”. Since then the United States has adopted increasingly punitive policies toward the possession, use and distribution of drugs and built a massive regime to enforce those policies.

The time has come to try a new approach: drug decriminalization. Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Cori Bush (D-MO) introduced the Drug Policy Reform Act (H.R. 4020), a bill that would end criminal penalties for drug possession at the federal level, shift the regulatory authority from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), expunge records and provide for resentencing, and invest in alternative health-centered approaches. The bill also eliminates many of the life-long consequences associated with drug arrests and convictions, including the denial of employment, public benefits, immigration status, drivers’ licenses, and voting rights. Here’s a summary of the bill: https://drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/dpra_summary.pdf

The drug war has failed and a new poll shows that Americans agree (poll: https://drugpolicy.org/press-release/2021/06/50th-anniversary-war-drugs-new-poll-shows-majority-voters-support-ending). 83% believe the war on drugs has failed and 65% want to end it. 63% say drug use should be treated as a public health issue instead of a criminal justice issue. And 66% of voters support “eliminating criminal penalties for drug possession and reinvesting drug enforcement resources into treatment and addiction services.”

It’s time for Congress to act on drug decriminalization. After decades of harm from the failed drug war, I hope you will listen to the vast majority of Americans like me and work to end it by supporting federal drug decriminalization and co-sponsoring the Drug Policy Reform Act. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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Historic Drug Decriminalization Bill in Congress

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