marijuana legaliation

marijuana legaliation

Marijuana should be removed from the criminal justice system and regulated in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco.



Legalizing and regulating marijuana will bring the nation's largest cash crop under the rule of law, creating jobs and economic opportunities in the formal economy instead of the illicit market. Scarce law enforcement resources that could be better used to protect public safety would be preserved while reducing corrections and court costs. State and local governments would acquire significant new sources of tax revenue from regulating marijuana sales.



The criminalization of marijuana use disproportionately harms young people and people of color, sponsors massive levels of violence and corruption, and fails to curb youth access.




The Drug Policy Alliance advocates marijuana legalization through a well-regulated market for marijuana production and distribution. We seek to enact change on the state and federal level through ongoing legislative efforts and through high-profile ballot initiatives in upcoming election cycles. DPA helped lead the historic campaign in 2010 to support Proposition 19 in California. In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first U.S. states -- and the first political jurisdictions anywhere in the world -- to approve measures legalizing and regulating marijuana similar to alcohol. DPA worked closely with local and national allies to draft these initiatives, build coalitions and raise funds.



DPA will play a similar role in upcoming campaign cycles in 2014 and beyond. We are engaged in building an unprecedented coalition that includes organized labor, civil rights groups, parents, and law enforcement.



DPA is also working to build support nationwide for ending prohibition by playing a key role in sparking and sustaining the national dialogue around marijuana legalization, and serving as a national thought leader for viable alternatives to failed prohibitionist policies. DPA staff...

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