Take Action: It's Time to Decriminalize Drugs in D.C.

For far too long, drugs have been used to criminalize Black and Brown communities and people experiencing poverty in D.C. Even with overdose deaths at a record high, thousands of people are getting arrested every year for drug use and possession instead of the health and support services communities need to save lives.

It's time to end these arrests and replace criminalization with care. An overwhelming majority of D.C. voters agree. Now it’s time to make D.C. Council act.

Help us do it: tell your Councilmembers to introduce legislation that would decriminalize drug possession and invest in health, overdose prevention, and harm reduction services instead of punishment.

Take Action

Your Message

Subject

Dear Councilmember,

Message Body

I urge you and the Council to act now to introduce and pass legislation that would decriminalize drugs and invest in health-based alternatives.

For far too long, drugs have been used to criminalize Black and Brown communities and people experiencing poverty in D.C. Even with overdose deaths at a record high, thousands of people are getting arrested every year for drug use and possession instead of the health and support services communities need to save lives.

A recent poll shows that an overwhelming majority of D.C. voters support decriminalizing drugs and investing in health services. The polling data shows that more than four out of five (83%), including a majority of voters across all major demographic groups, support removing criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of drugs and investing in services.

Please listen to D.C. voters by introducing and passing the legislative proposal by the DecrimPovertyDC campaign that would decriminalize the possession of personal use quantities of all drugs, provide for expungement and resentencing of past drug possession arrests and convictions, and fund 24-hour harm reduction center(s) where people can access support services, including harm reduction services, an overdose prevention program, referrals to drug treatment providers, primary health care, and other social services.

Drug decriminalization is a racial justice in the District. Racial disparities persist in arrests for drug use and possession and this reality establishes an important context to how the current drug laws impact those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Residents living in communities experiencing poverty who have been robbed of resources to address problematic drug use are more often targeted by law enforcement, while more resourced and privileged people who engage in regular drug use are not subjected to the same degree of policing or enforcement.

In order to dismantle mass criminalization and move towards a decriminalization framework for personal drug possession, there must be a robust public health system established in the District. It’s time to decriminalize drug use and possession and move to a humane approach to drugs that reduces the role of criminalization and increases access to health-based treatment, social services, and harm reduction for people who need them.

Sincerely,

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

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