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Press Release
Nation’s Largest Cannabis Policy Reform Group Releases Report On The Laws That Lag the Furthest Behind Public Opinion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Contact: Violet Cavendish
vcavendish@mpp.org
Nation’s Largest Cannabis Policy Reform Group Releases Report On The Laws That Lag the Furthest Behind Public Opinion; Press Conferences Scheduled For Tuesday
Read MPP’s report at www.mpp.org/DecrimReport
Washington, D.C. — Recognizing the 50-year anniversary of the report issued by the Shafer Commission, which investigated the effects of cannabis use on specific communities and found that small amounts of cannabis do not harm society and should not result in criminalization or jail time, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) released a new report — Behind the Times: The 19 States Where a Joint Can Still Land You in Jail.
On Tuesday, March 22, 2022, the Marijuana Policy Project will lead a national virtual press conference, as well as virtual press conferences in Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Texas, recognizing the 50-year anniversary of the Shafer Commission report and detailing the findings of MPP’s report.
- National Press Conference (10:00 a.m. ET): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
84992638900
- Pennsylvania Press Conference (11:00 a.m. ET): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
84341598833
- Alabama Press Conference (11:30 a.m. ET): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
89964118957
- Texas Press Conference (12:00 p.m. ET): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
83590374230
MPP’s report examines the laws that lag the furthest behind public opinion: the 19 states and federal government, which have not even “decriminalized” simple possession of cannabis. In those states, it examines penalties for simple possession, arrest rates, and racial disparities in arrests and provides a glimpse at some of the damage inflicted by draconian laws. It also reviews unsolved crime rates in the states that continue to use limited law enforcement resources to arrest and jail adults for possessing a substance that is safer than alcohol.
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Founded in 1995, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization. MPP has played a central role in passing dozens of cannabis policy reforms in states across the country, including 14 successful cannabis legalization campaigns, and also works to advance federal reforms.