San Francisco’s D.A. Is Clearing Thousands of Marijuana Convictions. Others Around the Country Should Do the Same.
The United States into the largest incarcerator in the world, not just by the numbers, but per capita as well. The system imposes harsh, unfair, devastating, and long-lasting consequences for millions of people. African Americans are almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana use then caucasians, but the rates of usage are similar.
Prosecutors have the power to change this. George Gascón is doing it.
Last week San Francisco’s District Attorney, George Gascón announced that his office would undo undo thousands of marijuana convictions from people’s records and they will review thousands more convictions dating back to 1975 to consider downgrading them.
We want to address the wrongs that were caused by the failures of the war on drugs for many years in this country and begin to fix some of the harm that was done not only to the entire nation but specifically to communities of color.”
SIGN PETITION: STOP THE WAR ON DRUGS: REFORM NOW
Gascón’s decision is also consistent with the values of mainstream voters across the United States. Last year, the ACLU conducted a national poll that revealed strong bipartisan and geographically diverse support for prosecutors who are committed to reducing mass incarceration and racial bias in the criminal justice system. Among those surveyed, 91 percent said that they believe it is important for a prosecutor to prioritize reducing unequal treatment of individuals because of race.” – ACLU