For Immediate Release: 15 November 2021
Contact: Denis McLaughlin
denis@lawenforcementaction.org
202.780.6486
POLICE GROUP ENDORSES STATES REFORM ACT
Fmr.Assistant Counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Offers Key Endorsement
Washington, D.C. — On Monday, former Assistant Counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary
Committee, Eric Sterling, offered the Law Enforcement Action Partnership’s official
endorsement of the States Reform Act.The legislation would federally decriminalize cannabis
and defer to individual states decisions over prohibition and regulation. In doing so, the Act
stipulates that cannabis and cannabis-related products would be regulated in a similar manner
to alcohol, protecting those under the age of 21 from advertising or sales.
“Prohibition is a failed policy. Right now, 18 states have legalized the adult use of cannabis and a
total of 36 states have legalized the medical use of cannabis or cannabis-related products.
Polling from Gallup and Pew demonstrate that Americans believe that adult use of cannabis
should be a legal, regulated industry. Even police, who have traditionally been painted as
opponents of reform, support legalization, because they have seen how decriminalization has
allowed them to focus on real crime and improved relations with the communities they serve,”
said Lt. Diane Goldstein (Ret.), executive director of Law Enforcement Action Partnership
(LEAP).“With the introduction of today’s legislation, I’m hopeful that we’ll see reinvigorated
efforts to work together toward an end to the War on Drugs with sensible policy that works
for all Americans.”
Notably, Eric Sterling, who helped craft the Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988 said,
“Every day that cannabis remains illegal, almost 1,000 people are arrested for cannabis-related
charges. For most of those people, many poor people and disproportionately people of color,
a marijuana arrest is an economic catastrophe. It often results in the loss of a job, sometimes
even homelessness, family breakup and long-term unemployment.”
LEAP endorses the States Reform Act because it federally decriminalizes the adult use of
cannabis and cannabis-related products while setting base guidelines for regulation.As
proposed, the law provides ample protections for our communities while ensuring continuity
for states that have already implemented regulated markets.
Police have a finite amount of resources at their disposal; when these resources are allocated
to policing low-level cannabis offenses, other, more serious crimes against people and property
are left unsolved. Furthermore, low-income and communities of color are overpoliced for
cannabis infractions, despite the similar rates of usage in more affluent communities, which
erodes community trust and makes it harder for police to do their jobs effectively.The States
Reform Act represents an investment in all of us and a better way forward.
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The Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) is a nonprofit group of police, judges, prosecutors, and other
criminal justice professionals who use their expertise to advance public safety solutions. LEAP’s nearly 200 law
enforcement representatives from diverse backgrounds speak on behalf of thousands of law enforcement
professionals across the U.S.
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