Institute of the Black World 21st Century
Drug Policy Reform Initiative
31-35 95th Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11369 ♦ 718.429.1415 ♦ info@ibw21.org ♦ www.ibw21.org
November 3, 2016
We are pleased to announce that Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, President of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, has agreed to throw his support behind California Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. Rev. Jackson has been a stanch supporter of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century’s Drug Policy Reform Initiative (IBWDPI) over the past several years, speaking at public forums and issuing similar statements in support of the kind of progressive drug policy reform that will create safe, just and humane communities. Dr. Ron Daniels, President/IBW
Statement from Rev. Jesse L. Jackson. President, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
I am delighted to join with Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Danny Glover and other friends/allies in California in promoting the passage of Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. The crisis of marijuana arrests and mass incarceration is an American problem that civil rights leaders can no longer ignore. Too many Black and Brown men and women living in poverty are burdened by marijuana convictions. This is the direct result of the targeting of these communities by law enforcement under the “War on Drugs” and the discriminatory policies and practices associated with it. The huge number of young men and women of color languishing in our jails and prisons for simple marijuana possession should provoke a national outcry.
Study after study show that Black and Brown men and women are disproportionately arrested. Regardless of your position on marijuana use, one thing is crystal clear: the targeting of Black and Brown people is causing serious social, economic and political harm to families and communities that are further marginalized because of racially biased marijuana arrests. This is unfair and unjust and must be corrected.
To add insult to injury, today, marijuana entrepreneurs, mostly white men, are profiting from an emerging marijuana industry while marijuana sellers and users in poor communities are being harassed, convicted and incarcerated in large numbers. For the well off, the marijuana industry is an economic opportunity and bonanza. Absent the adoption of appropriate social and racial justice policies the marijuana industry will have no constructive effect on Black and Brown communities. Indeed, without provisions for the effective inclusion and repair of communities of color, the industry could become another economic burden, breeding resentment and unrest.
Policymakers and business interests can address these real concerns by making a strong public commitment to invest in individuals and communities harmed by the War on Drugs, including failed marijuana policies. Proposition 64 is a major step in the right direction.
If we are serious about addressing the issues of high rates of Black unemployment, mass incarceration and disenfranchisement in our communities, we must look at low-level, non-violent criminal convictions, including marijuana convictions, as barriers to personal and professional growth. Voting yes on Proposition 64 is a vote for freeing Californians of color from the burden of being criminalized marginalized and disenfranchised simply for possession or sale of small amounts of marijuana. The provisions for education, treatment and investment contained in Proposition 64 will also begin the process of repairing families and communities harmed by ill-conceived policies and practices associated with the War on Drugs.
Contact:
Don Rojas – 876.533.9740
emails—editors@ibw21.org
