Ann Arbor should get rid of its laws criminalizing drug use

The city council should start tonight by deleting Chapter 113: Regulation of Model Glues.

The penalties section from Ann Arbor City Code, Chapter 113: Regulation of Model Glues

 

Ann Arbor is in the process of reviewing all the city's ordinances and modernizing them. As explained by City Attorney Slay at the Dec. 6th council meeting, part of this effort involves making sure Ann Arbor's ordinances use gender neutral language, and that they are are easy to read. These are admirable goals. The systematic review of the city's ordinances gives council the opportunity to get rid of all city ordinances that criminalize drug use. 

Substance use disorder is a disease. Laws that criminalize drug use are ineffective at curbing drug use. They are also immoral; these laws serve as a legal means for the use off state violence against members of our community with substance use disorders. Our broken criminal justice system is an inappropriate tool to use to solve a public health problem. 

At tonight's #a2Council meeting, the council will have a public hearing and vote on the second reading of an ordinance to modernize the city's laws that criminalize inhalant use (PH-5/B-4). It is my hope that council will not pass this ordinance as written and will instead delete this entire chapter from Ann Arbor's Code of Ordinances. If you feel the same way, please write council or share your thoughts tonight during Public Hearing 5.