Mothers from across California rallied at the state capitol Wedneday to launch a national movement to end the nation's war on drugs.
"There are 30,000 people in state prison in California for a drug offense," Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, California Drug Policy Alliance, said. "Twenty-four thousand of them for a drug possession offense. That's a billion dollars."
The group wants alternatives to jail time for drug offenses, such as addiction treatment. Many mothers at the rally said they support legalizing marijuana.
"While it may seem counter-intuitive that a group of mothers would say such a thing, it's because we love our children and we really feel the war on drugs is more harmful than the drugs themselves," Gretchen Burns Bergman, mother and rally leader said.
Mothers said their families have suffered because of California's drug policies including the state's controversial three-strikes law in which people convicted of two felonies can be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty of a third felony.
Kern County District Attorney Ed Jagels said most people in prison for drug convictions have also been found guilty of other crimes.
"Now I'm not saying there aren't drug addicts in prison, but there are people who have done other things than use drugs. There are people who have committed assault with a deadly weapon, or robbery, or burglary, who also use drugs," Jagels said.
There were no Kern County mothers at the rally. Rally-goers said it was moms who led the fight to overturn prohibition against alcohol almost 80 years ago and it will be moms who will lead the fight to help end the war on drugs.
