According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 36 states and four territories allow for the medical use of cannabis products. 18 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia allow for the non-medical use of cannabis products (n.d.). Marijuana remains illegal on the federal government level as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.).
Many of the volunteers on the citizen-led advisory board on policing and safety in New York City are requesting that the city and state decriminalize marijuana use (Harris et al., 2021; Rugeley et al., 2021). As the advisory board president, you are asked to prepare a statement for the leading newspaper of the city. This may be in the form of an editorial/opinion piece that offers your viewpoint on the role and behavior of unelected officials in creating/developing policy decisions for elected officials. As an option, you may provide a video instead of an editorial/opinion piece. Include a script with references with this option. Your response can be specific to the decriminalization of marijuana use or a general one responding to your role as a volunteer in policy recommendations.