Georgia’s strict drug laws encourage police officers to search for drugs during otherwise routine interactions, such as traffic stops, said Georgia state Sen. Harold Jones II, a Democrat and former prosecutor. That increases the odds of encounters escalating and turning violent.
“I just see so many interactions between police and citizens that are based on drug interactions — trying to find narcotics,” said Jones, who has put forward a bill that would reduce penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
“We as legislators are putting [police] in that situation,” he said, “because we’re demanding that they enforce this.”
Lawmakers and advocates who want to legalize marijuana, reduce penalties for possession or clear people’s criminal records of pot-related offenses have argued for years that drug policy is a social justice issue.
Now, as protests against racism and aggressive policing of Black and Hispanic neighborhoods sweep the nation, some lawmakers are making a related argument: Reducing marijuana penalties would reduce unnecessary confrontations between police and minority residents.