Alabama Mayor Calls For A Different Approach On Cannabis
A growing number of states in the US today are well on their way toward making changes in their approach to the drug war.
Along with the acceptance for recreational or medicinal use, there are also a variety of educational institutions that have been getting the chance to use it for educational purposes. And there are millions of people in the US now who are using cannabis to seek remedy from their various illnesses.
The US has the largest prison population in the world and they've been at this war on drugs for a few decades now, with little good to show for it.
Aside from those who have their lives ruined by spending an incredible amount of time locked up for something that involves no victim, there are many others who have their lives ruined by the criminal record that they receive. They might be arrested over it but they don't end up going to jail, they could still have that impact their eligibility however for certain jobs, housing opportunities, and more.
In Alabama,
However, there is still an issue with overcrowded prisons there. And it looks like the police haven't yet gotten the memo that perhaps they should be spending their time focused on other priorities, they're still busy making many arrests over cannabis. The court system there is congested right now with too many cannabis cases that need to get through, thousands of cases needing to be seen every year.
When it comes to the problem of overcrowded prisons in Alabama, one mayor there says that it's time to change the approach to cannabis.
Let's try something else besides throwing people in a cage for consuming a substance that some people don't approve of. Maddox suggests that the matter needs to be dealt with in a different way, they can't just keep throwing people in jail because that hasn't ever worked.
Another Alabama lawmaker, Senator Doug Jones, has also suggested that he too is in favor of making some changes when it comes to the state's current approach on cannabis. Having worked as a lawyer for many years, he's well aware of the failures of the war on drugs and how clogged up the criminal justice system is with these cases. Because of that, he can see the benefit to decriminalization, legalization, or having officers simply prioritize other laws to enforce. Perhaps it wont be that long before we start to see some more significant changes in this area, with the remaining states moving to get on with a different approach to cannabis.
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via wallingfordseniors.org
via maryknollogc.org
via dosenation.com
The information that is posted above is not intended or implied to be used as any substitute for professional medical advice, or diagnosis or treatment. The above is posted for informational purposes only.
Sources:
http://thehill.com/opinion/international/366516-the-feds-should-end-their-losing-war-on-weed
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/29/opinion/high-time-the-injustice-of-marijuana-arrests.html?mtrref=www.google.ca&gwh=FC16F0DB5C997FDA74E069774F424A34&gwt=pay&assetType=opinion
http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/03/fewer_in_alabama_serving_time.html
http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/03/fewer_in_alabama_serving_time.html
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20171211/city-leaders-marijuana-proposal-makes-sense
http://www.chicagonow.com/soapbox-momma/2017/10/meet-the-alabama-senate-candidate-doug-jones-who-supports-marijuana-legalization/
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2017-elections/meet-doug-jones-alabama-s-first-democratic-senator-25-years-n826606
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https://steemit.com/cannabis/@doitvoluntarily/seniors-boosting-their-quality-of-life-with-cannabis
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https://steemit.com/writing/@doitvoluntarily/drug-use-and-human-rights
Good start. Next -
Legalize all drugs.
There would be no one smoking weed.
I promise I will never stop, no matter what. 😎
😂
It does seem to be getting more popular, cheers mike
Its about time ! the war on drugs seriously needs to end , theres way to many people in prison for no reason really its rediculous !! So glad for medical reasons it will be legalized here in Canada next summer with each province having their own rules on top the government regulated rules ! its a step in the right direction ! Thanks for sharing @doitvoluntarily , great job ! 😀💕✌👍👌
See Senator Cory Booker(D-NJ) and Senator Rand Paul(R-KY) for excellent partnership in criminal justice reform in the US.
A great movement for the cause @doitvoluntarily. Victimless crimes are no crimes at all and to read about sentences up to 13 years for something so innocent reminds me of the penal colonies of old.
That we as a species are not yet evolved past this pedentary is astonishing, yet knowing the nature of government, also understandable at the same time. Great post.
It amazes me that police forces are cracking down so heavily on marijuana, when they could be focusing in on countless other crimes where people are actually being injured or killed. Marijuana is so harmless and the benefits from this herb, both medicinally and economically, are so vast I just don't understand why this plant cannot be made legal already. Just look what it has done for the states that have legalized it.... HELLOOO... wake up.
Something as simple as alcohol, which we regularly find ourselves using is more dangerous than this herb... no one has ever died from using this drug. The benefits outweigh the cons immensely, the controversy is just a matter of social acceptance.
Great post, regards from @conradsuperb
All states that have yet to legalize it need do is look at the ones that have. Look at their economies, look at their prisons, at their education system, look at the whole picture in those states and they will see legalization has a TON of benefits.
Great post as usual, upped and resteemed @doitvoluntarily :)
Cheers
I Have just started using CBD as this is illegal in the UK but my daughter read that they are going to ban CBD as it contains heroin.
that doesn't make much sense to me? I know that there are many suppliers of CBD out there who are producing it that doesn't have any heroin in it, maybe she read that they were classifying it as heroin? because that is what the US does currently, but i haven't heard of it containing heroin before?
I will get her to find the page again and have a look myself, does sound very odd but saying that our government here are very odd and should all be strung up :)
It is possible that people are being confused by news reports stating that marijuana on the blackmarket is being found laced with fentanyl. This is all the more reason to legalize cannabis so we might actually know what it is we are smoking. Cheers, @doitvoluntarily !
Insightful post.I generally do not see anything wrong with the use of cannis.It is highly recreational although in my country,its use is usually attributed to cultists and highly punishable.Thanks for sharing
I think this a good step to take, you don't just lock someone up for possession of it, they could make a rule against using it in public places