Unitarian Universalist Policy
The Unitarian Universalist Association has passed several resolutions pertaining to drug policy reform, listed below. The more salient ones have been excerpted.
Alternatives to the "War on Drugs"
2002 Statement of Conscience (Read Full Text)
OUR CALL TO END THE "WAR ON DRUGS" AS A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE
For more than
thirty years, American public policy has advanced an escalating "war on drugs"
that seeks to eradicate illegal drugs from our society. It is increasingly clear
that this effort has failed. In practice the drug war disproportionately targets people
of color and people who are poverty-stricken. Coercive measures have not reduced
drug use, but they have clogged our criminal justice system with non-violent
offenders. It is time to explore alternative approaches and to end this costly
war.
As Unitarian Universalists committed to affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person and to justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, we call for thoughtful consideration and implementation of alternatives that regard the reduction of harm as the appropriate standard by which to assess drug policies.
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
To conceive and develop a more just and compassionate
drug policy, it is necessary to transform how we view drugs and particularly
drug addiction. Drug abuse issues are essentially matters for medical
attention. We do not believe that drug use should be considered criminal
behavior. Drugs alone do not
cause crime. Legal prohibition of drugs leads to inflated street value, which in
turn incites violent turf wars among distributors.
ALTERNATIVE POLICIES
Instead of the current war on drugs, we offer the
following policies for study, debate, and implementation:
- Shift budget priorities from spending for pursuit, prosecution, and
imprisonment of drug law offenders to spending for education, treatment, and
research.
- Develop and implement age-appropriate drug education programs that are
grounded in research and fact and that promote dialogue without fear of censure
or reprisal.
- Undertake research to assess the effects of currently illegal drugs.
- Research the sociological factors that contribute to habitual, addictive,
and destructive drug use, such as poverty, poor mental health, sexual or other
physical abuse, and lack of education or medical treatment.
- Make all drugs legally available with a prescription by a licensed
physician, subject to professional oversight. End the practice of punishing an
individual for obtaining, possessing, or using an otherwise illegal substance to
treat a medical condition.
- Abolish mandatory minimum prison sentences for the use and distribution of
currently illicit drugs. Legislation should specify only maximum prison
sentences.
- Remove criminal penalties for possession and use of currently illegal drugs.
- End sentencing inequities driven by racial profiling.
Substance Abuse
1991 General Resolution (Read Full Text)
WHEREAS attempts to deal with substance abuse which do not address the underlying causes of abuse must ultimately fail;
WHEREAS the United States' "War on Drugs," which emphasizes the interdiction of supply and criminalization of use, has:
- not been effective;
- fostered an illegal market with criminal side effects as harmful as the
addictions themselves;
- resulted in violations of civil liberties;
- resulted in interference in the internal affairs of other countries; and wasted resources which could have been used for education, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation; and...
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Unitarian Universalist Association encourages its member congregations and individual Unitarian Universalists in the United States to call upon the United States government to change the emphasis of its "War on Drugs";
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Unitarian Universalist Association, its member congregations, and individual Unitarian Universalists be urged to call upon all people and governments to:
- address the underlying economic, social, and psychological conditions which
give rise to substance abuse;
- increase education on the hazards of substance abuse;
- increase research on effective methods of prevention and treatment;
- increase funding for treatment and rehabilitation of substance abusers; and
- enable growers in source countries to replace drug crops with other economically rewarding crops;
Drugs
1973 General Resolution (Read Full Text)
WHEREAS, heroin addiction is spreading rapidly today, especially among the younger generation and the poor; and
WHEREAS, the effort to control heroin addiction by outlawry and strict law enforcement has not reduced heroin addiction, but, by making it extremely profitable, has increased it many times; and
WHEREAS, this has led to a disastrous breakdown and corruption of our entire law enforcement and judicial process and to a vast increase in street violence and crime, jeopardizing the future existence of our metropolitan cities themselves;
BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1973 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges the governments of the United States and Canada:
To give first priority to stopping the traffic in heroin and other addictive drugs at the source, rather than emphasizing the prosecution of drug users; To give priority research into the underlying causes and possible cure of addiction to heroin and other addictive drugs in common use; To place a major emphasis upon eliminating the social conditions like poverty, unemployment, and racial discrimination which may feed addiction;
Legalization of Marijuana
1970 General Resolution (Read Full Text)
Narcotics Legislation
1965 General Resolution (Read Full Text)
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
