Politics The latest in cannabis legalization including laws and policies legislators views election coverage and more. Politics Thousands of People are Still Going to Jail for Cannabis in California Ben Adlin Walk down the streets of most big California cities and its easy to forget that cannabis is still an illicit drug. Between the states massive medical marijuana market and generally relaxed attitudes on consumption it sometimes feels as though cannabis in California already legal. But its not. And a new study proves it. Thousands of people in the state are jailed on cannabis chargesand only cannabis chargeseach year. In 2015 an estimated 2139 people in California were convicted sentenced and jailed for offenses that involved only cannabis according to a study commissioned by Drug Policy Action the political action arm of the Drug Policy Alliance. Thats a decline of 21 percent from the 2665 people jailed for cannabis-only offenses in 2010 the year before a statewide decriminalization measure took effect. Source: Drug Policy Action / New Frontier Data The fact that so many people are still in jail for cannabis alone is exactly why full-scale adult-use legalization is so important said the group which has endorsed Prop. 64 a measure on the Nov. 8 ballot that would legalize adult-use cannabis. Its a sentiment echoed by John Kagia an executive vice president at Washington DC-based Frontier Finance Group which conducted the study. One of the things that we have been hearing a lot in this debate from opponents is that nobody goes to jail for marijuana offenses Kagia said. This settles that argument. That is not true. We have the hard data from the counties to prove that. The study surveyed counties across the state. Those that responded including Los Angeles Orange Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties represent 47 percent of the states population. Together they had 1064 people in jail for cannabis offenses in 2014. Statewide the average sentence for cannabis-only offenses is approximately 5 months the report found. But thats not consistent from place to place. In affluent Orange County for example the mean sentence was 32 days. In Los Angeles County the average sentence was nearly 8.5 times longer269 days. The study also identified what it called stark racial disparities in Californias marijuana-related jail population. Among them nearly a quarter of all people jailed for cannabis offenses are blackdespite black Californians making up just 6 percent of the state population. Black white and Latino individuals use and sell cannabis at similar rates the study says. Source: Drug Policy Action / New Frontier Data Each reform measure California has passed starting with its first-in-the-country medical cannabis law has eased the burden on the states criminal justice system. Medical marijuana allowed under a 1996 measure protected patients who had once turned to the black market to obtain medicine. Statewide decriminalization which took effect in 2011 led to a further drop in arrestsalong with falling overdose and school dropout rates. Prop. 64 proponents say would close the loop by bringing the industry into a legal regulated space. The measure would reduce or eliminate penalties for most cannabis-related charges and minors convicted for cannabis offenses would be given free drug education instead of being locked up. Opponents counter that some penalties such as that for giving cannabis to a minor would actually increase. The vast majority however would not. People who are already incarcerated could petition the court under Prop. 64 to shorten or end their sentences and those already out of jail could have their records expunged. Clearly incarceration for marijuana is impacting thousands of families across the state said Lynne Lyman California director for the Drug Policy Alliance in a statement about the findings. It is time to end this injustice. Californiacannabis arrestsincarcerationpoliticsProposition 64 Ben Adlin Ben is an associate editor at Leafly specializing in politics. Related Articles California Cities Ban Cannabis Sales Ahead of State Vote Why Is California Running a Cannabis Campaign Without the Cannabis? ESPN Survey: 2/3 of NFL Players Say Cannabis Would Cut Painkiller Use California Stories Politics 13 Things You Might Not Know About Californias Prop. 64 Politics Think Cannabis is Essentially Legal in California? Politics Which 15 Celebrities Support Legal Cannabis in California? Politics If Youre Pro-Cannabis Why Would You Not Vote for Prop. 64? The post Thousands of People are Still Going to Jail for Cannabis in California appeared first on Leafly. by Ben Adlin at Leafly