Marijuana and Jail Time

A total of 2.3 million and counting of Americans are behind bars for the possession of marijuana. This is known to be the largest prison population in the world. Many of those people are there for nonviolent drug crimes but just for the possession of weed, even in states that had legalized it or already decriminalized it. Including a man named Ferrel Scott, who received a life sentence. Scott and many of other people of color have been living behind bars, while businessmen like Kevin Murphy, the CEO of a marijuana company, get rich. His company, Acreage Holdings, reported to make $12.9 million in revenue. Most legal pot industries are run by mostly white men and pharmacies. They are expected to take in at least $45 billion in revenue in 2024 from all sales. But it was not till recently Senator Corey Booker introduced a bill that freed thousands of inmates incarcerated for drug use and possession. But not everyone.

For the longest people were abandon behind bars for the same reason, people are making millions off of it. This is why the government should put forth an effort to free everyone from it and drop the charges. Arrests have long-term impacts, including separation of families, missed job opportunities, restriction of access to welfare, public housing, and voting, and I believe something as small as possession of weed should not have to affect one's life. I do not believe every state of America should legalize pot, I feel it creates a sense of balance with most states still legal. However, it seems immoral and unfair to those who were put behind bars and face lifelong consequences even after their state legalize the substance, which is why the national government should drop all charges to the few states that had legalized marijuana.