Talking About Decriminalization

April 3, 2009

In March, a bill was introduced in the California State Assembly seeking to decriminalize recreational use of marijuana and subjecting it to taxation and regulation like alcohol. However, a recent poll by CBS news found that 58 percent of Americans oppose marijuana legalization.

Recently on Latino USA, University of Miami Professor Bruce Bagley, an expert on drug cartels and violence, suggested that legalizing or even decriminalizing non-violent Marijuana usage could have an impact on drug violence in North America. But politically, Bagley doubted it would happen.

But with talk that the illegal drug trade is fueling violence in Mexico and spilling over into the U.S., Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA, 47th) suggests to Maria Hinojosa that California might make a good pilot study to see whether changing the nation’s drug laws would be beneficial for the country.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Racial Profiling & Marijuana Arrests

Drug laws have been enforced for decades in the U.S. But some question whether the laws are enforced uniformly. In the decade from 1997-2006, the New York City Police department arrested over 360,000 people for possessing small amounts of marijuana, a ten-fold increase from the previous ten years. Since 1997, New York City has arrested and jailed for at least 24 hours nearly 200,000 Blacks, over 100,000 Latinos, and over 50,000 Whites for marijuana minor possession. These numbers drew the attention of the New York Civil Liberties Union because, statistically, Whites consume more marijuana than any other ethnic group.

Harry G. Levine is a Professor of Sociology at Queens College who has written widely on drug prohibition. Professor Levine speaks with Maria Hinojosa about his 2008 report on racial bias and marijuana arrests in New York City.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What do you think? Let us know your thinking on reforming America’s drug laws by leaving a comment on the Latino USA blog.

Colorado Community Rallies for Immigrant

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is charged with enforcing federal immigration law. It is also the agency that deals with requests for political asylum. While the two may be linked, the laws governing political asylum are quite different than those regarding immigration. Political Asylum requests are covered under a very technical legal set of circumstances in federal law as outlined by Congress. But ICE has lots of latitude in its application and enforcement of federal immigration laws.

In the story of José Mendoza Turbín, a young immigrant who left El Salvador because his life was threatened by local gangs, his political asylum request was recently denied by ICE. And now, community leaders in Glenwood Springs, Colorado are petitioning ICE officials to use their immigration discretion and set aside his deportation order. Reporter Sarah Hughes sent this story.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Comments

A mass grave is an abiding scar on the human landscape. A few weeks ago, researchers in Pennsylvania announced that they had discovered a grave that they believe holds the remains of 57 Irish immigrant laborers. The men arrived in the United States at the Port of Philadelphia in June of 1832. Eight weeks later, they disappear from the historical record. Latino USA’s Seán Collins picks up the story from there.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Comments