Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
US Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) are introducing a bill today that would decriminalize not just cannabis but all drug possession, in favor of what they’re calling a “health-centered approach.”
The Drug Policy Reform Act (DRPA) would end criminal penalties for “personal use” drug possession at the federal level, expunge criminal records, and shift the regulatory authority from the attorney general to the secretary of Health and Human Services, “to emphasize that substance use is a health issue and not a criminal issue.”
Under the act, people could still face fines for drug possession, but a court could waive the fine if the person is unable to pay. The act would require HHS to establish a commission on…
