Pubdate: Tue, 25 Mar 2014
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Richard Branson
Note: Sir Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Group and sits on 
the board of the Global Commission on Drug Policy based in Geneva. 
Sundog Pictures will hold a special screening of "Breaking the Taboo" 
at 5.30pm on Tuesday at the New People Cinema, 1746 Post St., San Francisco.

STATE MUST CHANGE DRUG-USE LAWS

"The global war on drugs has failed." That's the first sentence of 
the executive summary of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a 
commission on which I serve. The commission was established to bring 
to the international level an informed, science-based discussion 
about humane and effective ways to reduce the harm caused by drugs. I 
am here in San Francisco this week to talk about just that.

The war on drugs is a complete failure, with overwhelming effects for 
individuals and societies in every corner of the world. It has cost 
billions of dollars. More important, it has cost lives. The 
documentary film about the global war on drugs "Breaking the Taboo" 
lays out the reasons why we need a new approach to drug policy.

The fallout from the war on drugs threatens stability, security and 
development. Improving our drug policies is one of the key policy 
challenges of our time.

Happily, we are already seeing progressive signs of change in drug 
policies here in California. In 2012, we saw the "three strikes" 
reform secure a 2-to1 victory at the ballot box. We continue to see 
numerous polls showing that more than 70 percent of Californians 
support reducing penalties for all drug possessions, and more than 84 
percent of people in the Golden State believe nonviolent drug 
offenders should not be crowded into California's already overflowing prisons.

It's something that San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon 
clearly recognizes, as he is implementing his own alternatives to 
incarceration, with prosecutions for possession of drugs reduced in 
San Francisco by almost 70 percent.

As we see a decline in prosecutions, we still are witnessing the cost 
of this war on drugs on minority communities. In California, for 
instance, young blacks use marijuana at lower rates than young 
whites, yet police in California continue to arrest more blacks than 
whites and in much greater numbers than their percentage of the population.

This racial profiling has to stop. It has to stop as people also need 
to consider the impact and ripple effect these arrests have on 
families and communities. Organizations such as Legal Services for 
Prisoners With Children, which works here in the Bay Area, are doing 
great work by addressing this as a civil and human rights issue, 
working with formerly incarcerated people, prisoners and their allies.

Legislation is key. California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill last 
year to reduce the criminal penalty for drug possession here from a 
felony to a misdemeanor, but I will be rallying behind groups such as 
the Drug Policy Alliance who is supporting in 2014 an effort to put 
this issue on the ballot, thus moving our drug policies toward a 
health-centered approach.

Drug use should be considered a health issue, and not a criminal 
issue. We need to cut wasteful spending and reduce life-long barriers 
that follow a drug conviction. We must seriously consider shifting 
resources away from criminalization, and move toward an approach 
based on health, harm reduction, cost-effectiveness and respect for 
human rights. We are seeing good signs of change of that here in 
California. Let that change continue. It's time to break the taboo.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom