SF 219 is a bill that just got approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee that would add a new tier of punishment to marijuana possession crimes. If passed possession of 5 grams or less of marijuana would be a simple misdemeanor. This will help free up state revenue by decrease incarceration of non-violent offenders and begin to unclog our heavily burdened court system.

According to the State Auditor’s Office the cost of imprisoning an inmate on a daily basis has increased nearly 5% since 2009. Annual costs for incarcerating an inmate in Iowa can reach nearly $56,000! These are valuable taxpayer dollars that could be better spent repairing infrastructure or being invested other ways to repair communities throughout the our great state!

What's even worse is in 2013 the ACLU published a report detailing each state's marijuana arrest rates. Iowa didn't just rank poorly. Iowa was ranked as the WORST state in the nation in terms of racial disparity for marijuana possession arrests. Passing SF 219 would send a signal that Iowans are fed up with the discrimination produced by the racially biased enforcement of our marijuana laws.

Further, the over prosecution of non-violent, petty crimes such as the possession of small amounts of marijuana unjustly burdens families. In some cases the stress caused by these prosecutions leads to divorce and the breakup of the family units which are foundational to the stability and future of Iowa.

Signing this petition is only part of the battle. Your legislators want to hear from YOU. We encourage you to visit https://www.legis.iowa.gov/ to find your state senator and contact them directly. Tell them why you want to see a need to reform Iowa's marijuana laws!