Take action to save lives during COVID-19

During this unprecedented health crisis, immediate steps can and must be taken to fight this pandemic and protect our community members – people who are incarcerated, detained, or homeless and people with substance use disorder and those that rely on access to medication-assisted treatment or medical marijuana.

Time is running out to take those most at risk of contracting COVID-19 out of harm’s way and free up important public safety resources to assist with this ongoing crisis.

Demand that your Governor reduce incarceration and immigrant detention capacity, stop minor arrests, and ensure continued access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and medical marijuana.

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Your Message

Subject

Dear Governor,

Message Body

With the rapid escalation of COVID-19 exposing systematic weaknesses within the United States’ critical infrastructure, it is incumbent upon policymakers like you to take swift and unprecedented measures to protect the most vulnerable among us – including those in jail or prison, the homeless, people with substance use disorder, those who rely on access to medication-assisted treatment or medical marijuana, and immigrants.

Due to their circumstances, these populations face challenges taking the most basic of steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, like engaging in social distancing. I urge you to put public health above all else right now to ensure the health and safety of these vulnerable people as well as broader society.

You can do this by reducing capacity in jails, prisons and immigrant detention centers by releasing older people and others that pose no risk to public safety. You can do this by immediately halting the arrest and prosecution of people for minor offenses like drug possession, sex work and other various ‘crimes of poverty’ as some prosecutors, who recognize the gravity of the pandemic have already begun doing.

This will take those most at risk of contracting COVID-19 out of harm’s way and free up important public safety resources to assist with the ongoing crisis.

It’s also critical that you ensure people who rely on life-saving harm reduction services, medication-assisted treatment, or medical marijuana continue to have access.

I urge you to do everything in your power to take these steps in your state and to request help from Congress to act immediately.

We are in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis. To continue haphazardly with business as usual in this regard is to let the ship go down with the lifeboats still attached. Thank you if you’ve already taken some of these crucial steps. If you haven’t, I urge you to act now to help save lives.

Sincerely,

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

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