President Schmoke, a Former Mayor of Baltimore, Recounts Long History of Marijuana Legalization
December 2, 2022
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In an op-ed in The Baltimore Banner, University of Baltimore President Kurt L. Schmoke recalls the complicated history of public policy regarding drugs, in light of city voters' recent approval of the legalization of marijuana. His experience with the issue began when he was the city's mayor in the 1980s, and his decision to speak out against criminal penalties as a solution to drug use.
"For elected officials and the public back then, the view was that the problems associated with drugs could be resolved through increased arrests and prosecutions," Schmoke writes. "That approach meant tougher laws, at both the state and federal levels, that resulted in what is now seen as the problem of mass incarceration. But at that time, the national consensus was that the drug problem was, first and last, a crime problem."
The former mayor, who also served as a state's attorney for the city, says, "My view was different from the national consensus."
Now, decades later, and in the midst of a major crisis over opioid misuse, President Schmoke is urging measured steps toward policies that consider drug abuse as a public health issue first.
"Maryland seems to be taking a studious approach to a new regulatory environment," he writes. "The public should be comforted by this approach. We should recognize that there are no final victories in the war on drugs. But the direction that Maryland has charted will enhance the chance of success and reduce the extent of societal harm."
Read the op-ed.
Learn more about UBalt President Kurt L. Schmoke.