* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Young
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Informational Hearing - Is Legalization of Drugs the Answer for Baltimore City?
FOR the purpose of requesting representatives of the Baltimore City Health Department and the Baltimore City Police Department to brief the council about the effects of the War on Drugs and discuss alternatives to our current drug policies; to encourage an open dialogue on the effectiveness of the imprisoning non-violent drug offenders; and examining the potential for treatment centers where care is available on demand and where drugs can be provided legally by medical professionals
Body
Recitals
After nearly four decades of fueling the U.S. "War on Drugs" with more than a trillion tax dollars and increasingly punitive policies, our confined population has quadrupled over a 20-year period, making the building of prisons one of this nation's fastest growing industries. More than 2.2 million of our citizens are currently incarcerated. In the last five years we have arrested 9 million people for nonviolent drug offenses--far more per capita than any country in the world. The United States has 4.6% of the world's population but 22.5% of the world's prisoners.
Every year that we continue this war will cost the United States another 69 billion dollars. Despite all the lives destroyed and all the money so ill spent, illicit drugs are cheaper, m...
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