The 2020 election was notable for many reasons, but one winner really stood out: drug legalization. Five states legalized either medicinal or adult use of marijuana. Oregon and went even further, becoming the first state to decriminalize the personal use and possession of small amounts of illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. The momentum garnered from these cross-country wins helped push the MORE Act through the House in recent weeks. If passed and enacted, this legislation would end the federal prohibition of marijuana.

This week on At Liberty, Cynthia Roseberry, deputy director of our National Political Advocacy Department, joined us to discuss what this election means for the future of the drug war, and the long work of advocates to bring it to an end.

“What we’re seeing now is finally the voice of the people being heard by policymakers,” said Roseberry.

“It is a tipping point. It is a beginning, let me say that,” she added. “But it is a crucial point as we approach the 50 year anniversary of the war on drugs.”

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