Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) released a police accountability plan on Tuesday, and it includes proposals to legalize marijuana and decriminalize other drugs to reduce over-policing of communities of color.
The congressman cited statistics showing that black people are significantly more likely to be arrested over cannabis compared to white people, despite comparable rates of consumption. This pattern is part of the systemic racial injustice fueling mass protests across the country, he said.
“Reducing police interactions by using non-law enforcement to deal with minor crimes and activities, and repealing punitive drug laws could reduce the criminalization and over-policing of communities of color,” the plan states. “We need to rethink the way police are used and encourage alternative policing models that address institutional racism as they are being created.”
Part of that model involves repealing “policies that incentivize over-policing of communities of color, including the prohibition of cannabis and the decriminalization of other drugs.”