NAACP Supports The ‘Respect State Marijuana Laws Act’

NAACP Endorses House Resolution 1523

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) officially endorsed House Resolution 1523 – the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013.

If passed, the initiative would amend the Controlled Substances Act so that it may not apply to anyone acting in compliance with state laws. The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act was proposed by Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-California) and referred to committee in April.

According to a statement from the NAACP, “Laws prohibiting marijuana have been unjustly enforced and are largely responsible for the current incarceration crisis.”

Minorities Are Most Impacted By War On Cannabis

It is no secret that conflicting cannabis policy at the state and federal level has led to a great deal of difficulties in recent years. Further, studies suggest that minorities have been impacted the most by these disparities.

“The war on marijuana has long been a war on people of color.”– Neil Franklin

In particular, a study released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in June found that blacks are nearly 4 times more likely to be arrested for possession, despite comparable consumption rates with whites.

Neil Franklin, Executive Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)added that “the war on marijuana has long been a war on people of color.”

“It destroys families. It destroys lives. It empowers the criminal gangs who grow rich on its sale,” Franklin said. “All this bill does is allow states to determine their own policies on marijuana so that they can begin to heal the divisions between police and the communities they serve.”