Congress is considering law to completely decriminalize drugs

Fifty years ago, President Nixon declared the drug war, a move that would keep America from sinking into the gutter of addiction and toward justice. However, that did not happen. Instead, millions of lives and families have been destroyed by the concept of drug addict nation surveillance.

The drug war is such a failed ethos that even President Joe Biden claims to support an end to low-level criminal penalties related to drug possession. Well, House Democrats want to test Biden on his word later this year.

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Earlier this week, Democratic MPs Cori Bush from Missouri and Bonnie Watson Coleman from New Jersey introduced the Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA). The law should decriminalize possession of all illegal drugs, clear some convictions, and distribute funds to drug addiction organizations. It removes responsibility from the Department of Justice for handling the drug problem and places it in the custody of the US Department of Health. It’s a push that goes beyond legalizing marijuana for adults 21 and older.

To be clear, the bill does not call for dangerous drugs to be legalized. It would not create a taxed and regulated national market for marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or any other substance currently banned under Uncle Sam’s Controlled Substances Act. It would only ensure that drug users would no longer be treated by the criminal justice system unless their crimes were of a violent nature.

CONNECTED: Drug Decriminalization vs. Legalization – Here’s the Difference

The bill would continue to blame drug dealers for the book. Anyone involved in the illegal drug trade can still be prosecuted. But the average heroin user arrested on the roadside with a personal amount of the drug no longer has to worry about going to jail. Not unless they were involved in more abuses than just drug possession.

Portugal has one similar policy in use for over two decades and has been largely successful. Since the adoption of drug decriminalization, the country has seen a general decline in drug use among citizens between the ages of 15 and 24. In addition, the number of drug rehabilitation cases has increased by 60%. It stands to reason that the United States should borrow a chapter from Portugal and try a common sense, health-centric approach to fighting the drug war.

RELATED: Punishing drug dealers only leads to more violence and deadly narcotics

Somewhere around 83,000 Americans have died of overdoses since May 2020. In addition, hundreds of thousands are trapped in the criminal justice system every year because of their vices. This makes it difficult for people to clean up, find a job, find housing, get government support, and provide a variety of opportunities for people who do not have drug deficiencies on their records.

The DPRA would change that.

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Unfortunately, the bill doesn’t stand a chance. Even if it could find the support it needs to clear the House of Representatives, it won’t get very far in the Senate. The Upper Chamber is so messed up with Republican retaliatory strikes right now that it will be impossible for Democrats to achieve anything – let alone major policy changes around illicit drugs. In reality, the DPRA would be a much better move for the nation than the MORE Act or any bill that focuses on legalizing marijuana.

But while the country has come to believe that legal weed makes sense – 90% think it should be legal, according to Gallup – it might be difficult to convince the more conservative population that getting rid of hard drug criminal sanctions does that Right is doing.

RELATED: What the US Government Could Learn from Oregon’s New Drug Decriminalization Bill

The US has just started experimenting with the concept of decriminalizing drugs. Oregon ceased prosecuting drug offenders in February 2021 and focused $ 100 million in cannabis taxes on rehabilitation.

Whether he remembers it or not, President Biden has signaled his support for the decriminalization of drugs. “Nobody should be imprisoned for using illegal drugs alone. Instead, they should be redirected to drug courts and treatments. ” read the 2019 Biden Campaign website. It’s all about getting Democrats and Republicans to stand on the side and stop fighting each other long enough to actually do something good for the country.

Yeah yeah we know Good luck next time.