Passing HB 758 would free up literally hundreds of millions of Texas’ taxpayer dollars.....LIKE....DUH!
Testimony In Support of House Bill 758 (2007) Joshua Schimberg Texas NORML
Get the PDF Version of this DocumentMembers of the Committee,
My name is Joshua Schimberg and I am the current director of Texas NORML; the Texas state affiliate of the National Organization for the reform of Marijuana Laws. I’m speaking before you today to ask you to please support House Bill 758. According to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, 2003) more than 95% of all marijuana arrests in Texas are for nothing more serious than simple possession of small amounts of marijuana.
If passed, HB 758 would insure that literally tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding Texans would not be subject to arrest and possible incarceration. Texas’ Department of Public Safety’s, “Texas Crime Report: 2005” showed that more than 60,000 Texans were arrested for possession of marijuana two years ago. Sadly, these arrests are disproportionately impacting young people and minorities. As FBI data shows, African Americans are arrested for marijuana possession in Texas at a rate of 546 per 100,000, but Caucasians in Texas are arrested at just 226 per 100,000. This despite evidence from the FBI (2003) that these two ethnicities use marijuana at equal levels.
Since the 1990’s, Texas has spent billions of dollars building additional prisons and jails to house hundreds of thousands of its own citizens. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (2000) reported that Texas leads the nation in prison population as well as prison growth rate. Plus, between 1990 and 2000, nearly one in five new prisoners in the US was in Texas. HB 758 will help to curb this ugly trend in Texas.
Moreover, 75% of all citizens arrested in Texas for marijuana possession are under 30 years old. Texans aged 15 to 19 are most likely to be arrested for marijuana possession, comprising 35% of all state arrests in this category, while Texans aged 20 to 24 comprise another 28% of all marijuana possession arrests. Incarceration for any purpose, but especially a drug conviction, is a lifelong hurdle many young people cannot overcome. We shouldn’t saddle our young with this kind of baggage for little more than youthful indiscretion involving minor marijuana possession. As for the critics who claim this bill will lead to increased drug use, the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (1999) concluded that “there is little evidence that decriminalization of marijuana necessarily leads to a substantial increase in marijuana use.” Along with saving our youth, HB 758’s passage could also save large amounts of money for Texas.
Passing HB 758 would free up literally hundreds of millions of Texas’ taxpayer dollars annually. At an average cost to taxpayers of more than $10,000 per marijuana arrest (Jon Getman, “Crimes of Indiscretion,” 2005) HB 758 could potentially save Texas taxpayers more than $600 Million annually. This is money that is urgently needed for other Texas agencies and programs.
Thank you for allowing me to testify today in favor of HB 758. For the good of thousands of Texans, please support HB 758.
updated: Mar 26, 2007
Get the PDF Version of this DocumentMembers of the Committee,
My name is Joshua Schimberg and I am the current director of Texas NORML; the Texas state affiliate of the National Organization for the reform of Marijuana Laws. I’m speaking before you today to ask you to please support House Bill 758. According to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, 2003) more than 95% of all marijuana arrests in Texas are for nothing more serious than simple possession of small amounts of marijuana.
If passed, HB 758 would insure that literally tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding Texans would not be subject to arrest and possible incarceration. Texas’ Department of Public Safety’s, “Texas Crime Report: 2005” showed that more than 60,000 Texans were arrested for possession of marijuana two years ago. Sadly, these arrests are disproportionately impacting young people and minorities. As FBI data shows, African Americans are arrested for marijuana possession in Texas at a rate of 546 per 100,000, but Caucasians in Texas are arrested at just 226 per 100,000. This despite evidence from the FBI (2003) that these two ethnicities use marijuana at equal levels.
Since the 1990’s, Texas has spent billions of dollars building additional prisons and jails to house hundreds of thousands of its own citizens. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (2000) reported that Texas leads the nation in prison population as well as prison growth rate. Plus, between 1990 and 2000, nearly one in five new prisoners in the US was in Texas. HB 758 will help to curb this ugly trend in Texas.
Moreover, 75% of all citizens arrested in Texas for marijuana possession are under 30 years old. Texans aged 15 to 19 are most likely to be arrested for marijuana possession, comprising 35% of all state arrests in this category, while Texans aged 20 to 24 comprise another 28% of all marijuana possession arrests. Incarceration for any purpose, but especially a drug conviction, is a lifelong hurdle many young people cannot overcome. We shouldn’t saddle our young with this kind of baggage for little more than youthful indiscretion involving minor marijuana possession. As for the critics who claim this bill will lead to increased drug use, the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (1999) concluded that “there is little evidence that decriminalization of marijuana necessarily leads to a substantial increase in marijuana use.” Along with saving our youth, HB 758’s passage could also save large amounts of money for Texas.
Passing HB 758 would free up literally hundreds of millions of Texas’ taxpayer dollars annually. At an average cost to taxpayers of more than $10,000 per marijuana arrest (Jon Getman, “Crimes of Indiscretion,” 2005) HB 758 could potentially save Texas taxpayers more than $600 Million annually. This is money that is urgently needed for other Texas agencies and programs.
Thank you for allowing me to testify today in favor of HB 758. For the good of thousands of Texans, please support HB 758.
updated: Mar 26, 2007
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