Marijuana Likely To Be Decriminalized in DC?

Looks like leaders for the District of Columbia think it’s high time to stop jailing small-time users of marijuana. According to The Washington Post:

Ten of 13 members of the D.C. Council and Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) have endorsed a plan to make small-time marijuana possession a civil rather than a criminal offense. That means recreational cannabis users wouldn’t face arrest, charges or jail time — any of which can destroy their lives — as long as they aren’t caught with more than an ounce of the drug. Instead, they would have to pay a fine, perhaps as low as $25. (The mayor also wants criminal penalties to remain for anyone caught using it in public.)

Much of the debate over the idea has focused on an American Civil Liberties Union report that suggests that the District and many other jurisdictions enforce their anti-marijuana laws unfairly, disproportionately arresting African American suspects. On these pages, Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier pushed back, insisting that factors such as a geographic concentration of tips about marijuana users, not biased policing, are responsible for the city’s arrest figures.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people are arrested in the U.S. for marijuana possession. According to an ACLU report, despite roughly equal usage rates, Blacks are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for having marijuana.

Take the poll below to let us know what you think, and listen today to the debate on “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin.