A push for drug decriminalization surges in countries around the world — could the US be next?
Two of Canada’s three main political parties, including Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, added drug decriminalization to their official campaign platforms earlier this year, signaling that candidates intend to campaign on decriminalization in the upcoming 2019 federal election. … The momentum has even spread all the way to the United Nations, which released a joint statement with the World Health Organization last year calling for repeal of laws that criminalize drug use and possession.
Canada is joined by a growing list of countries — which already includes France, Georgia, Ghana, Ireland and Norway — where moves are being made at senior levels of government to pave the way for decriminalizing the personal use of drugs. Polls show that a majority of U.S. voters support ending arrests for drug use and possession. A broad range of stakeholders – from the American Public Health Association and the International Red Cross to the Movement for Black Lives and the NAACP – have endorsed decriminalization. The first state-level drug decriminalization bill has been introduced in Maryland, where elected officials and a broad range of stakeholders [convened] a forum on decriminalization…
Original Article (The Hill):
A push for drug decriminalization surges in countries around the world — could the US be next?
Artwork Fair Use: USGS + EncMstr [Public domain]
