Jail and Drugs: Decriminalization

In 2018, three students, two white girls and one African American boy were hanging out in New York City smoking marijuana at night in Lincoln Square. “At the time, there was no one really around. We didn’t think much of it” one of the girls, Lyla, stated. Lincoln Square is a common place for teenagers to meet up in New York City. When the three high school students sighted a police officer they were not too nervous, well at least the two girls weren’t. “Usually, I see people around the city smoking joints all the time, pretty out in the open. There is usually bigger issues that police attend to in the middle of the night than bust a couple of high schoolers chilling outside,” she explains. The boy, however, had been told from a young age to be careful of police. As the officer approached them, the three friends were only expecting to be told to put the marijuana away, but instead, the police officer targeted the boy, leaving the girls free of trouble. He proceeded to arrest the 18 year old boy, charging him for possession of marijuana. “It was really scary, the officer got pretty aggressive with him, he got handcuffed and everything. My friend and I didn’t really know what to do, and we were confused why we weren’t even

questioned”. The teenage boy was fortunate enough to have been working to support himself for the past couple years, and with the help of his parents, he was able to pay the fines that were a result of his possession of marijuana. He spent the night in jail, was summoned to court, and was required to complete hours of community service to avoid jail time.

Although the boy was not an addict who necessarily needed proper treatment and rehab, if he had not been fortunate enough, he may have had to complete jail time for possession of marijuana. Not only would that have costed money for the government and taken up a spot that could have been fulfilled by a criminal that deserved to be imprisoned, but the environment of prison could lead to trauma and exposure to environments not known before. The boy was not a danger to society or himself in any way, but was simply criminalized for possession of his own personal use of marijuana. The charges remain on his record, and if found in possession again, he could face jail time and further fines that could lead to financial struggles, which often leads people to involve themselves in criminal activity and dangerous environments.

“Three years later I still get shaken up when I am approached by a cop at night. It was just so sad and such a bizarre concept to me that someone would w

Lincoln Center

ant to inflict pain and struggle onto a guy that was just minding his own business with his friends,” Lyla continued.

When it comes to arresting addicts of dangerous drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, etc. getting arrested and taken off the streets into prison, they are not being treated with proper care. Drug users are not criminals, but rather people struggling with a disease that need proper care and treatment to remain healthy, safe, and get themselves off the streets and into a productive lifestyle.

You can visit the Drug Police Alliance‘s donation website to help decriminalize drugs and save the lives of addicts.

Drug Decriminalization Documentary