Dear colleague,

Today CAP officially released our issue brief calling for states and the Federal government to use marijuana tax revenue to fund public sector jobs in low-income communities of color most harmed by drug enforcement.  The proposal is an outgrowth of CAP’s “Blueprint for the 21st Century: A Plan for Better Jobs and Stronger Communities,” a report that was issued last year and called for a massive investment in public job creation and a jobs guarantee for highly distressed communities. Additionally, the brief recommends providing automatic and cost-free expungements of marijuana arrest and conviction records; reinvesting in essential services for communities most harmed by the war on drugs; and promoting equitable licensing systems and funding for minority owned businesses.

Please find our press statement here. You can find the brief here and it is also attached.

Best,

MARITZA PEREZ

Senior Policy Analyst, Criminal Justice Reform

Center for American Progress