On The Eve of The 50th Anniversary of President Nixon Declaring War on Drugs, Two Members of Congress Propose an Armistice

Jeffrey A. SingerYesterday Representatives Cori Bush (D-MO) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) introduced theDrug Policy Reform Act, which would federally decriminalize drug possession and redirect federal funds to harm reduction, substance abuse disorder treatment, and education programs. Furthermore, the bill would expunge and seal the records of people with federal drug violation records within one year of enactment.Among some of the bill ’s other praiseworthy provisions are a ban on civil asset forfeitures related to personal drug possession cases, and preventing individuals in the U.S. from being denied legal immigration status because of a history of drug use.The bill also shifts regulatory authority for substances listed under the Controlled Substances Act from the Drug Enforcement Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice, to the Department of Health and Human Services. This is important. Drug use and substance use disorder should be viewed as health issues, not criminal justice issues. Law enforcement has no expertise and should have no say in classifying narcotics and psychoactive substances.A few features of the bill, such as the ones restoring voting rights to those who served time for drug crimes and the insurance that ex ‐​cons can gain access to drivers’ licenses raise federalism concerns as they intrude on state sovereignty. Yet the bill defers to the states when it comes to state‐​level drug policy and only decrimin...

Source: Cato-at-liberty - June 17, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs