New Poll Finds More than Four Out of Five DC Voters Support Decriminalizing Drug Possession & Investing in Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matt Sutton 212-613-8026
New Poll Finds More than Four Out of Five DC Voters Support Decriminalizing Drug Possession & Investing in Services
Release of Polling Data Follows Launch of Campaign by #DecrimPovertyDC Calling on D.C. Council & Mayor to Introduce and Pass Legislation
Washington, D.C. – October 26, 2021 – Today, #DecrimPovertyDC—a coalition of civil rights, public health, criminal justice reform, drug policy and faith groups, led by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and HIPS—released new polling data showing that more than four out of five (83%) District of Columbia voters, including a majority of voters across all major demographic groups, support removing criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of drugs and investing in health services. The release of the poll comes on the heels of the coalition launching a legislative campaign last week calling on the D.C. Council and Mayor to introduce and pass legislation that decriminalizes personal possession of all drugs and increases access to needed harm reduction and other health services in the District.
Additionally, the survey found that seven in ten (72%) voters would be more likely to vote for a council candidate who supported the decriminalization policy, with just seven percent saying they would be less likely. And while each component of the proposal had widespread support, increasing funding for services and 24/7 harm reduction centers was almost universally favored by all voters, with 95 percent and 93 percent support respectively.
“While the various percentages vary, these results clearly show that D.C. voters overwhelmingly want their council members and mayor to pass legislation that decriminalizes possession of drugs and provides additional funding for needed health services, so much so, that they would be willing to vote them out of office if they fail to do so,” said Queen Adesuyi, Policy Manager for the Office of National Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance. “This is a matter of life and death. It’s about human dignity and supporting our most vulnerable community members. We have provided the framework in the form of a proposal delivered to the council that does just this. Now, it’s time for our elected representatives to act. And with countless lives on the line, we cannot wait.”
The campaign’s legislative proposal—which the Coalition is urging the D.C. Council to introduce before the end of 2021—decriminalizes the possession of all drugs, establishes a commission to set the thresholds for what constitutes personal possession, provides for expungement and resentencing of past drug possession arrests and convictions, and creates a 24-hour harm reduction center where people who use drugs can access the support services they need and safely consume drugs under the supervision of a trained professional that can react in the case of an overdose or other health emergency.
“Decriminalizing drugs is not an issue of morality. This is about people’s safety. This data confirms that voters nearly universally support providing additional funding for services and harm-reduction centers,” said Jeremiah-Anthony Righteous-Rogers, Community Organizer for HIPS. “We can see that there is demonstrated passion in the District for investing in systems of support for drug users rather than systems of punishment.”
“This survey data shows that public opinion has come a long way in recent years and D.C. residents now strongly support the decriminalization of poverty and fully embrace a health care approach as an alternative to criminal penalties for possession of drugs,” said David Grosso, attorney at Arent Fox LLC and former member of the D.C. Council. “A harm reduction approach to support people who use drugs is proven to be more effective than the ‘lock em up’ approach to criminal justice. The Mayor and Council should move this legislation immediately to save the lives of and to support our residents.”
The survey was conducted by FM3 Research between June 30 – July 8, 2021 among 402 likely 2022 voters in Washington, D.C., with a margin of error of +/-4.9% at the 95% confidence level.
The #DecrimPovertyDC campaign launched last Thursday, October 21, on the front steps of the D.C. Council. High resolutionimages and b-roll of the event can be found here.
For more information on the campaign visit www.decrimpovertydc.org. Follow the campaign’s Twitter for updates @DecrimPovertyDC.
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About the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)
The Drug Policy Alliance envisions a just society in which the use and regulation of drugs are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights, in which people are no longer punished for what they put into their own bodies, and in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more. Our mission is to advance those policies and attitudes that best reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the autonomy of individuals over their minds and bodies. Learn more at drugpolicy.org.
About HIPS
HIPS advances the health rights and dignity of people and communities impacted by sex work and drug use by providing non-judgmental harm reduction services, advocacy, and community engagement led by those with lived experience. HIPS also envisions a world where all people can use their power to live healthy and self-determined lives free from stigma, violence, criminalization, or oppression. Learn more at hips.org.
Coalition Launches Legislative Campaign to Decriminalize Drugs & Increase Access to Services in D.C.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matt Sutton 212-613-8026
Drug Policy Alliance & HIPS Lead Advocacy Community in Calling on D.C. Leaders to Reject the ‘War on Drugs’ and Support Public Health & Justice for Residents
Washington, D.C. – October 21, 2021 – Today, the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and HIPS led a coalition of civil rights, public health, criminal justice reform, drug policy and faith groups in calling on the D.C. Council and Mayor to introduce and pass legislation that decriminalizes personal possession of all drugs and increases access to needed harm reduction and other health services in the District.
The campaign’s legislative proposal, which is expected to be introduced in the D.C. Council in the next upcoming months, decriminalizes the possession of all drugs, establishes a commission to set the thresholds for what constitutes personal possession, provides for expungement and resentencing of past drug possession arrests and convictions, and creates a 24-hour harm reduction center where people who use drugs can access the support services they need and safely consume drugs under the supervision of a trained professional that can react in the case of an overdose or other health emergency.
“We have 50 years of experience to show us what an enforcement-first approach to drugs gets us – record overdose deaths, skyrocketing mass incarceration and severe racial inequality. To continue down this path is not only irresponsible, but cruel and inhumane,” said Queen Adesuyi, Policy Manager for the Office of National Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance. “This framework gives the District an opportunity to reimagine what it looks like to provide people the support they need, rather than punishing them for being economically disadvantaged. The drug war has already ruined far too many lives – it’s time we just say ‘NO MORE’.”
“HIPS is excited to partner with the Drug Policy Alliance to launch #DecrimPovertyDC – a campaign promoting evidence-based approaches to drug policy reform. We are so proud to continue building upon the momentum from last year’s successful campaign to decriminalize drug paraphernalia,” said HIPS’ Outreach and Advocacy Team. “We are dedicated to continuing D.C.’s fight for every person’s right to live a healthy, self-determined life free from stigma, violence, criminalization, and oppression.”
In addition to calling on legislators to pass the decriminalization legislation, the campaign is mobilizing D.C. residents to build a broad base of support for social and economic justice for the District’s predominantly Black and under-resourced residents who have disproportionally borne the brunt of the drug war’s harm for decades.
D.C. communities are experiencing compounded public health emergencies – fatal overdose, COVID-19, and housing insecurity. Punitive drug laws are only worsening these crises, which continue to disproportionately impact the District’s Black and under-resourced communities. It is estimated that in 2020, D.C. experienced a 40% increase in fatal overdose deaths, marking the deadliest year in D.C.’s history. The campaign’s current legislative priority of ending arrests for personal possession of all drugs is in solidarity with local, grassroots efforts to defund the Metropolitan Police Department and invest in communities hardest hit by racist policing and mass criminalization, as well as efforts to end stigma, criminalization, and other forms of oppression against people who are targeted by the state for ‘crimes of poverty’ – including sex workers, people who use drugs, and people experiencing housing insecurity.
The #DecrimPovertyDC campaign launched today on the front steps of the D.C. Council. High resolution images of the event can be found here, and b-roll is available upon request.
For more information on the campaign visit www.decrimpovertydc.org. Follow the campaign’s Twitter for updates @DecrimPovertyDC.
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About the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)
The Drug Policy Alliance envisions a just society in which the use and regulation of drugs are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights, in which people are no longer punished for what they put into their own bodies, and in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more. Our mission is to advance those policies and attitudes that best reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the autonomy of individuals over their minds and bodies. Learn more at drugpolicy.org.
About HIPS
HIPS advances the health rights and dignity of people and communities impacted by sex work and drug use by providing non-judgmental harm reduction services, advocacy, and community engagement led by those with lived experience. HIPS also envisions a world where all people can use their power to live healthy and self-determined lives free from stigma, violence, criminalization, or oppression. Learn more at hips.org.