Federal and state drug laws and policies over the past twenty years have had specific, devastating, and disparate effects on women, and particularly on women of color and low-income women. These effects require further study and careful consideration as state and federal decision-makers evaluate existing and prospective drug laws and policies.
The ACLU, Break the Chains: Communities of Color and the War on Drugs, and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law co-authored this report that compiles for the first time existing research on the effects of current drug laws and sentencing policies on women and their families.