10-4 on 420
We here do not celebrate April 20 by inhaling the smoke from burning cannabis, nor do we urge others, especially young people, to so indulge. But in the name of fairness, we do insist that New York State get back to the business of responsibly legalizing recreational use of the substance.
Marijuana is a drug that can powerfully impair judgment, but its public-health harms are, by any honest reckoning, less severe than those of alcohol. Yet the federal government still insanely lists it as a Schedule I narcotic, alongside heroin, LSD and ecstasy. For perspective, Schedule II, one level down, includes cocaine and fentanyl, both of which addict and kill in far higher numbers.
Since 1996, police in New York State have arrested more than 800,000 people, 85% of them black and Latino, for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Members of those groups have borne the brunt of enforcement and punishment despite the fact that studies consistently show people of all backgrounds using the drug at roughly equal rates.
It is true that the NYPD and local prosecutors have dialed back enforcement in recent years, but severe disparities and deep
scars remain.
Without further delay, New York legislators must do the hard work of legalizing the recreational use of cannabis to correct for injustices without creating new problems in the process.
A good chunk of the revenue generated from new taxes should be dedicated to combating addiction and abuse. Local and state police forces must step up their patrols to guard against driving under the influence of this substance from becoming a new scourge on New York’s roads and highways.
Meantime, the new legal industry must be structured to stamp out black markets and ensure that people of all races and backgrounds can participate and profit.
And low-level possession records should be wiped away, without preventing the use of pot addiction as a factor in making complex judgments about the child welfare and other matters.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams pushed the City Council to ban the use of pre-employment marijuana screening, with exceptions granted for security, construction and other types of jobs. They should’ve waited for the state to do its job first.
But we shouldn’t wait long. This watched pot must boil.