Gabbard pledges she would end the war on drugs.
Gabbard pledges to end cash bail.
Gabbard introduced the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2019, which would limit the application of Federal laws to the distribution and consumption of marijuana and would remove marijuana from the list of Schedule l substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
Gabbard would remove marijuana-related convictions from “otherwise law-abiding Americans.”
Gabbard received increased national attention after criticizing Senator Kamala Harris for her record as former Attorney General for California stating, “... and the people who suffered under your reign as California prosecutor -- you owe them an apology.”
Gabbard would pass the End Money Bail Act, and would provide resources to states to implement a free trial, no money bail system.
Gabbard has pledged to provide resources to states to reduce the jail population, ensure safer communities, and save taxpayer dollars.
Gabbard promises to shut down the school-to-prison pipeline.
Gabbard pledges she will work for clemency reform, including expunging the criminal records of individuals convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
Gabbard says she will work to make house arrest and work release “more viable for non-violent offenders” with the aim to prevent jail and prison entry.
Gabbard would legalize marijuana at the federal level.
Gabbard would ban private prisons.
Gabbard cosponsored the Marijuana Justice Act of 2019, which would economically punish states that do not legalize cannabis and continue to incarcerate or arrest people for cannabis-related offenses.
Gabbard is a cosponsor of the FIRST STEP Act, which aims to reduce the prison population by strengthening evidence-based, rehabilitative programs for those who are incarcerated.
When asked by an audience member at a 2019 CNN Town Hall event if Gabbard would decriminalize all drugs, Gabbard responded by saying that after with meeting with a group of men living in a substance use recovery facility in New Hampshire, she was “impressed by their strength and their resilience,” that we need to end the failed war on drugs, that she feels it is important to identify the root causes of addiction, and discussed her introduction of the Ending the Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2019. CNN host ____ then asked for further detail saying, “So Congresswoman, you’re talking a lot about marijuana, but where do you draw the line on decriminalization, because one of the questions was about all drugs. What do you think about that?” Gabbard replied, “I think that the heart of her question was really recognizing that this is about addiction, not criminalization. Our failed war on drugs has turned everyday Americans who are struggling with substance abuse and addiction and turned them into criminals.” Gabbard did not provide an answer regarding the legalization of all substances.
Gabbard would abolish mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses.
Gabbard promises to provide expanded education opportunities, vocational training, and mental health services for individuals in prison.
Gabbard promises to never sign another mandatory minimum sentence into law that removes discretion from judges.
“Our outdated policies on marijuana are turning everyday Americans into criminals, tearing apart families, and wasting huge amounts of taxpayer dollars to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate people for non-violent marijuana charges.”
“We must stand up against for-profit, private prisons and a criminal justice system that favors the rich and powerful and punishes the poor, locking up people who smoke marijuana and ignoring corps like Purdue Pharma responsible for thousands of opioid-related deaths.”
“…too often we have people in positions of power who don’t care about serving the people. They don’t care about actually serving justice. Instead, they are using their position of power and privilege for their own selfish interests. It’s unfortunately because so much a part of the fabric of our society, that we barely bat an eye when Wall Street bankers who have cheated and gambled and lost billions of our money have not served a day in prison, and they are actually rewarded with million-dollar bonuses. We have big pharmaceutical companies, companies like Purdue Pharma, who have cheated and lied to the American people just so they can proliferate these highly addictive opioid drugs on our streets, driving up their profits, ruining people’s lives, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Yet, what happens to them? They walk away. They get a slap on the wrist. Meanwhile, on the other hand, we have nonviolent drug offenders arrested, thrown in prison, shackled with a criminal record that will follow them wherever they go forever. These are just two examples of this fundamentally unjust system that we have. We have mass incarceration that’s predominantly impacted poor people and communities of color, people’s lives ruined because of one mistake while others whose entire careers are built on predatory behavior and exploitation of the innocent are routinely excused. This is not justice. Justice must be blind… Anyone who’s come into contact with our prison system in any way knows that it is deeply broken. Not only does our prison system fail to fulfill its function of deterring and correcting crime, it is a central driver of a conveyor belt that sucks our youth into an ever-increasing spiral of offenses, punishment, and collateral consequences.”
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Fix our broken criminal justice system
Tulsi Gabbard campaign website, 2019
Justice for All — Tulsi Gabbard at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Forum
MSNBC, October 29, 2019
