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A Resolution Concerning THE DECRIMINALIZATION OF THE POSSESION OF ALL ILLICIT DRUGS WHEREAS: The United States has spent nearly a trillion dollars over forty years fighting an empirically ineffective and self-destructive war on drugs; and, The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that drug traffickers import several thousand tons of narcotics into the country annually, an amount that has been growing steadily since estimates became available; and, Arresting and detaining minor drug offenders does nothing to disrupt chains of production, distribution, or violence; and, Access to drugs and rates of drug abuse has generally risen over time despite prohibition; and, There are 1.6 million prisoners in the United States, more than any country on earth; and, 51% of all federal prisoners are drug offenders, more than 90% of which are non-violent offenders; and, 18% of all state prisoners are non-violent drug offenders; and, It costs roughly $22,000 a year to house every one of those non-violent drug offenders; and, The prison environment has been shown to have a brutalizing effect on inmates, even those originally incarcerated for non-violent crimes; and, History and contemporary experience shows that prohibition of a product merely spawns a violent trade associated with the distribution of that product; and, By nature of the socioeconomic connection between poverty and drug abuse, the War on Drugs has become a de facto war on the poor; and, Chronic hostile contact between the police and large, drug-abusing swathes of certain neighborhoods creates severe social dissonance and resentment which impedes any poverty reduction effort; and, The threat of incarceration serves to alienate one of the most at-risk segments of the American public, reducing their access to contraceptives, educational material, and methods of rehabilitation; and, The malignance of drug abuse must be dealt with as a public health issue, not a criminal matter, if real progress is to be made; and, Personal consumption of a substance should be an individual choice, not

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a mandate of the Federal Government. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Maryland Student Legislature urges the United States Congress and the Executive to pass the resolution to decriminalize the possession of all illicit drugs. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That possession be defined as one ounce or less of any given substance. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That Congress create a fund, to be paid for with money saved in reduced enforcement costs, with the express purpose of providing resources to the states for expansive rehabilitation programs, aggressive anti-drug information distribution, and other drug-related public health needs. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That all inmates currently serving time for non-violent drug possession charges be immediately released into a rehabilitation program in their area. MANDATES: Barack Obama, President of the United States Joe Biden, Vice President John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the Senate

SPONSOR: Michael Cowan, University of Maryland, College Park