FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2021
CONTACT: Jerrod Ferrari Jerrod@narrative-project.com 203.963.9224
HARTFORD, CT – The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut (ACLU-CT) and the Connecticut Justice Alliance (CTJA) today sent a joint letter to every police department in the state, urging them to familiarize and justly carry out the cannabis legislation that becomes law Thursday, July 1, 2021. The letter highlights key aspects of the new law, which begins to right the wrongs of decades of draconian drug laws unfairly used to target black and brown communities, ripping families apart. “We felt it important to put Connecticut law enforcement on notice about the new cannabis law and the new limits on how they can use their authority to stop and arrest people,” said David McGuire, Executive Director of the ACLU-CT. “Marijuana arrests have disproportionately harmed Black and Brown people for decades and ravaged communities. ” The letter can be found on the ACLU-CT website here and on CTJA’s website here. “Our focus is on improving the lives of those most impacted by what we see as an unjust legal system, and ending the criminalization of our state’s youth,” said Christina Quaranta, Executive Director of CTJA. “There is still a lot of work to be done to correct the wrongs enacted through decades of racist policy, but we are hopeful this new law will push our state in a direction where fewer people are caught up in the legal system when they need not be. We want to take a proactive approach to avoid marijuana arrests throughout the state and ensure that all young people, especially those in Black and Brown communities are no longer disproportionately targeted for any dealings with marijuana.” The ACLU-CT and CTJA are committed to assuring this country’s disastrous war on drugs ends and that will only happen by ensuring the equitable enforcement of this law.
# # # ABOUT The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut (ACLU-CT) s a nonpartisan, non-profit membership organization that defends, promotes, and preserves individual rights and liberties under the U.S. and Connecticut constitutions in state and federal court, the General Assembly, and the state’s 169 towns and cities.
The Connecticut Justice Alliance (CTJA) is a youth/adult partnership working to end the criminalization of youth. The Alliance works to disrupt and dismantle the pathways that funnel children and youth into the juvenile justice system by using organizing, advocacy, and policy tools to protect the rights, futures, and well-being of potentially, currently, and formerly incarcerated youth, while also ensuring youth who are detained, incarcerated, and involved in the courts and legal systems receive safe, fair, and dignified treatment. CTJA was formerly known as the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance.