SmokeDog420
New Member
Maryland prisons are filled with nonviolent drug offenders who need treatment, not incarceration. Drug treatment programs are less expensive than prisons and more effective at helping people turn their lives around. Of Maryland's 23,000 state prison inmates, about 25% are nonviolent drug offenders. It costs as much as $43,000 a year to keep someone imprisoned while drug treatment only costs around $7,000 per patient - a savings of $36,000 per person each year! HB797 and SB501 would immediately shift nonviolent drug offenders from prison to drug treatment, saving state taxpayers close to $7 million. These bills have earned support from the Black Caucus, Republican House leadership, Women's Caucus, and other influential groups. Governor Ehrlich has introduced a competing bill that is a step in the right direction - but it does not go far enough to offer treatment instead of incarceration. FAX your elected officials in the Maryland General Assembly and tell them that you support passage of HB797 & SB501!!!
https://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=15373&ms=mdtvihp
https://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=15373&ms=mdtvihp
