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Possessing small amounts of cannabis should not be a crime
Public opinion has shifted dramatically on cannabis policy in recent years. Lawmakers in other states have been responsive to this change in attitudes, but in North Carolina nothing has changed. We are one of only 14 states that still hasn’t passed a medical cannabis law, and possessing small amounts of cannabis is still considered a criminal offense.
In December, the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice recommended that cannabis possession should be decriminalized. I was pleased to see that legislators put forward a bill, HB 290, that would reduce the penalty for possession to an infraction. Cannabis would remain illegal if this bill passes, but police and courts would waste less time and fewer resources dealing with simple possession cases, leaving them with more time and resources to deal with serious crimes.
HB 290 would also go a long way towards minimizing the impact of racial disparities in the enforcement of cannabis possession laws. The Task Force found that there were more than 10,000 convictions for cannabis possession offenses in 2019, and 63% of those convicted were people of color. This was the case despite the fact that people of color make up only 30% of the state’s population, and nonwhites use cannabis at nearly identical rates as white people.
Twenty-eight legislators have signed on as sponsors of HB 290. Can I count on you to support this modest, sensible reform?
It’s time to reduce cannabis possession penalties
Now that Virginia is moving forward with cannabis legalization, it is no longer possible for us to avoid talking about cannabis policy in North Carolina. A poll conducted by Elon College found that 54% of North Carolina residents support legalization, and 73% support passing a medical cannabis law.
I was pleased to learn that 28 legislators signed on as sponsors of HB 290, which would reclassify cannabis possession offenses as infractions. This bill would not legalize cannabis for adults or patients, but it would be an important step forward for our state. If the bill passes, it would allow police and courts to focus their limited time and resources on serious crimes rather than continuing to waste their time dealing with thousands of cannabis possession cases each year.
The bill is also needed to minimize the racial disparities that are associated with enforcement of cannabis laws. The North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice found that Blacks are convicted of cannabis possession at much higher rates than whites, despite using cannabis at the same rate. Reclassifying cannabis possession as an infraction would minimize the disproportionate harms associated with enforcement of cannabis laws.
Please support bringing this bill to a vote and passing it into law.
Reducing cannabis possession penalties makes sense
The fact that North Carolina continues to classify cannabis possession as a crime makes no sense. Polls have found that the majority of our state’s voters believe cannabis should be legal, and yet we continue to convict more than 10,000 people for cannabis possession misdemeanors each year.
HB 290, which is sponsored by 28 legislators, would reduce the harms associated with cannabis prohibition by reclassifying cannabis possession as an infraction. This bill would not legalize cannabis for medical or recreational use, but it would result in fewer individuals having their lives disrupted by the criminal justice system. Doing so would also encourage police to focus their limited resources on serious crimes and threats to public safety rather than low-level cannabis offenses.
The North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice recommended in December that cannabis possession should be decriminalized. Most North Carolina residents would like to see the state take an even bigger step. Regardless, HB 290 would help reduce the harms associated with cannabis prohibition, and I hope you will agree to support its passage.