Ex-surgeon general: Marijuana prohibition uses the poor to subsidize the prison industry

Written By Emily Gray Brosious 

 

“With legalization, we would stop using our poor to subsidize private prison industries.”

Joycelyn Elders stands out for not simply being the first black U.S. surgeon general, which she was. She also stands out for being way ahead of the times on controversial issues, such as drug policy, criminal justice and sexual education.

Although she was forced to resign after just 15 months as surgeon general under the Bill Clinton administration due to her outspoken opinions, Elders remains an important figure in the marijuana reform landscape.

She was among very few prominent voices calling for marijuana reform as early as 1993, when she said legalizing drugs would “markedly reduce our crime rate,” as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Elders is set to keynote the International Cannabis Business Conference in San Francisco on Feb. 13, and San Francisco Chronicle reporter Joe Garofoli got a chance to talk marijuana policy with her ahead of the event.

Among the interview highlights is Elder’s response to the question of how marijuana legalization might impact low-income communities and communities of color.

Here’s what she said, per the San Francisco Chronicle:

“With legalization, we would stop using our poor to subsidize private prison industries. … We should spend more money on drug treatment rather than incarceration. Also, states and federal government would not spend so much on keeping people warehoused in prisons, and could spend that money on education and community development.

“People’s lives could improve by not having the specter of a criminal conviction hovering over them forever, affecting child custody, voting rights, employment, business loans, trade licensing, student aid, public housing and other public assistance.

“The consequences of any drug conviction are lifelong and severe and are not experienced equally throughout the population despite comparable drug use and selling rates; African Americans and Hispanics are disproportionately punished for drug law violations whether they are for drug using or selling.