Each year, there are more than 1.5 million drug arrests in the United States. More than 80% of these arrests are for possession only. Twenty-two states have already decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, and some are exploring the merits of decriminalizing other drugs. The opioid crisis has jumpstarted the conversation on the best approach to drug use across the country, including in Maryland.

Please join the Drug Policy Alliance, Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition, the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, Indivisible Montgomery, Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Center, Progressive Maryland, and others for a forum on drug decriminalization, "Discussing Drug Decriminalization: Cannabis to Opioids" on Saturday, September 15th at the Montgomery College Germantown Campus.

This event will provide an opportunity for community engagement and education, and a chance to discuss the benefits of a public health approach to drug use and possession.

The forum will include a keynote by Maryland Gubenotorial candidate Ben Jealous, and a moderated panel discussion with plenty of time for Q&A, followed by a casual reception. The panel will be lead by experts in the field of public health and drug policy, including representatives of: the Maryland State Assembly, the Montgomery County Health Department, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, Johns Hopkins University, the re-entry community, and the formerly incarcerated.

All are welcome, and we look forward to helping facilitate this important community discussion.

We will continue to update this page as the event draws closer.

You share the event on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2193176684253534/

What Exactly is Drug Decriminalization? (It’s Not Legalization)

Drug decriminalization is commonly understood to be the elimination of criminal penalties for: Drug use and possession; Possession of equipment used to introduce drugs into the human body ("paraphernalia"); Low-level drug sales

Legalization, on the other hand, generally involves the establishment of a taxed and regulated marketplace enabling consumer purchases.

Learn more about drug decrim here: http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/drug-decriminalization

(Last update: July 19, 2018)