The U.S. Conference of Mayors will vote on this resolution at its annual meeting, June 21-24.
If you are a mayor and wish to add your name as a co-sponsor, please email [email protected] prior to June 21. You do not need to attend the annual meeting to be listed as a co-sponsor.
PRIMARY SPONSOR:
The Honorable Bob Filner
Mayor of San Diego, California
CO-SPONSORS:
The Honorable Mike McGinn
Mayor of Seattle, Washington
The Honorable Carolyn Goodman
Mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada
The Honorable Jean Quan
Mayor of Oakland, California
The Honorable Steve Hogan
Mayor of Aurora, Colorado
The Honorable Marilyn Strickland
Mayor of Tacoma, Washington
The Honorable Kitty Piercy
Mayor of Eugene, Oregon
The Honorable William Euille
Mayor of Alexandria, Virginia
The Honorable Jamie Matthews
Mayor of Santa Clara, California
The Honorable Tom Bates
Mayor of Berkeley, California
The Honorable Gayle McLaughlin
Mayor of Richmond, California
The Honorable Stephen Cassidy
Mayor of San Leandro, California
The Honorable Kelli Linville
Mayor of Bellingham, Washington
The Honorable Jean M. Robb
Mayor of Deerfield Beach, Florida
The Honorable Daniel Rizzo
Mayor of Revere, Massachusetts
The Honorable Matthew Ryan
Mayor of Binghamton, New York
The Honorable Alex Morse
Mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts
The Honorable Mike Dunafon
Mayor of Glendale, Colorado
IN SUPPORT OF STATES SETTING THEIR OWN MARIJUANA POLICIES WITHOUT FEDERAL INTERFERENCE
WHEREAS, the United States Conference of Mayors has long advocated for a fair and effective criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, despite the prohibition of marijuana and the 22 million marijuana arrests that have occurred in the U.S. since 1965, including 757,969 marijuana arrests in 2011 alone, federal studies estimate that 42 percent of Americans have used marijuana, including over 18 million people who admit to having used it within the past month; and
WHEREAS, enforcing the costly and ineffective prohibition on marijuana drains limited resources that could be better spent on programs that more effectively serve the public and keep our cities safe from serious and violent crime; and
WHEREAS, the impact of these costs are felt particularly strongly on the local level due to the fact that 97 percent of marijuana arrests are conducted by municipal or state law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, the illegal market for marijuana is dominated by organized crime: The U.S. Department of Justice reports that Mexican cartels operate drug distribution networks in more than 1,000 U.S. cities and that “marijuana distribution in the United States remains [their] single largest source of revenue,” while drug policy and law enforcement officials, including former White House drug czar John Walters and former Arizona attorney general Terry Goddard, have estimated that cartels make as much as 60 percent of their profits from marijuana alone; and
WHEREAS, rates of marijuana sales and use are similar across racial and ethnic groups, but people of color are arrested, convicted, sentenced and incarcerated at higher rates and for longer periods of time; and
WHEREAS, during the 2012 election, Colorado and Washington State voters strongly approved measures to tax and regulate adult use of marijuana, while 18 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws legalizing marijuana for medical purposes and 16 states do not treat possession of small amounts of marijuana as a criminal offense; and
WHEREAS, several other states are considering reforms that will allow them to more effectively and responsibly control marijuana use and sales among adults in their jurisdictions in a way that reduces costs and crime and improves public health and safety; and
WHEREAS, federal law prohibits the use of marijuana for any reason, and federal agencies have regularly interfered with the operation of state medical marijuana laws – despite President Obama’s comments that such actions are “not a good use of our resources” and his administration’s pledge not “to circumvent state laws on this issue”; and
WHEREAS, a recent Gallup poll found that 64 percent of Americans believe that states should be able to reform their marijuana policies without federal interference; and
WHEREAS, the United States Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution at its 75th Annual Meeting declaring the war on drugs a failure and calling for a health-centered reorientation of drug policy that gives “cities, counties and states the flexibility they need to find the most effective way to deal with drugs, save taxpayer dollars and keep their communities safe;” and
WHEREAS, the United States Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution at its 78th Annual Meeting recognizing that, for many people, medical marijuana is the safest and most effective medicine to treat their conditions, including returning veterans suffering from PTSD, chronic pain or other service-related injuries and illnesses; and
WHEREAS, the United States Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution at its 80th Annual Meeting noting that the growing state-federal conflict on marijuana policies “frustrates our citizens, costs cities significant time and resources to address, and prevents the establishment of a regulated and safe system to supply patients” who may need medical marijuana; and urging the federal government to reclassify marijuana “so qualifying patients who follow state law may obtain the medication they need through the traditional and safe method of physician prescribing and pharmacy dispensing;”
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors reaffirms its support of fair and effective criminal justice and drug policies and reiterates its previous call for the reclassification of marijuana under federal law; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors recognizes that its members have differing views on how to treat marijuana in their cities, and believes that states and localities should be able to set whatever marijuana policies work best to improve the public safety and health of their communities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors believes that federal laws, including the Controlled Substance Act, should be amended to explicitly allow states to set their own marijuana policies without federal interference; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that until such time as federal law is changed, the United States Conference of Mayors urges the President of the United States to reexamine the priorities of federal agencies to prevent the expenditure of resources on actions that undermine the duly enacted marijuana laws of states.
