Pubdate: Wed, 11 Oct 2017
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2017 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Contact:  http://www.ajc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28
Author: Alexis Blackmon

POT LEGISLATION A GOOD FIRST STEP

As an African-American woman who has seen the negative ramifications
an ounce of marijuana can have on one's life, I found the article
"Atlanta Mayor Reed to review, sign changes to city marijuana laws,"
hopeful.

According to ACLU, African-Americans are more than four times as
likely to be arrested as white adults. By reducing the penalty and
eliminating jail time, fewer African-Americans will have a criminal
record. In Atlanta, African-Americans make up 92 percent of those
arrested for marijuana possession. By decriminalizing marijuana and
reducing the penalty, the crime rate amongst African-Americans will
decrease.

A strict drug penalty is not stopping the usage of marijuana. Why not
lessen the offense and put the money into the communities that are
disproportionately affected by the incarceration rate?

Alexis Blackmon, Marietta
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MAP posted-by: Matt