Cannabis is Racist
Last month I slightly touched on the racist history of the war on drugs — by just saying "it's necessary to understand the racist history of the war on drugs" without further elaboration. I've been working my way up to it.
I think it's important context to have, as a cannabis consumer, but seeing that I'm white and come from a privileged background where I've never dealt with these issues directly, I wasn't sure if I could do it justice. But maybe you're also white, and open to learn about that privilege along with me. Let’s begin.
Part 1: The Big Idea
In our lifetime, we are going to see the rise of a new American industry. One that is full of potential, and one that has, in its illicit years prior, targeted and criminalized people of a specific race and class. It is not only our opportunity to repair the damage of this history, it is our responsibility. Think about the impact that establishing equity from the beginning could have.
Some Facts:
People in the US use and sell marijuana at the same rate regardless of their race, however, Black and Latinx people are 4x more likely to be arrested for cannabis-related charges (consuming in public is still illegal everywhere), and in some places in the country (like D.C. - which legalized adult-use in 2014) up to 11x more likely.
Up to 6,000 people are deported each year for cannabis possession alone, including legal permanent residents. The rate of deportations increased by 43% between 2007-2013.
In states that have legalized adult-use, cannabis charges have reduced by 89% on average. Of course, due to continued over-policing of low-income neighborhoods and racial profiling, White people have disproportionally been the beneficiaries of these new laws.
Defining the term: Equity
Please have a look at this wonderful visual example of equality vs. equity by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, courtesy of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. Equity, unlike equality, recognizes that one-size does not fit all, and accommodates for those differences to actually create justice.
Equity says: it is not enough to just make marijuana legal! People with past convictions in some states, cannot even get jobs in the new cannabis industry due to their criminal record (...seriously). It is not enough to just expunge criminal records! The newly-freed simply will never catch up to the roster of affluent white males with MBA's, bored of Silicone Valley, cashing in their bitcoins to work in an all-cash business that they're gonna "dominate, bro." There has to be incubators, funding resources, and training programs to support Black and Brown canna-business owners and entrepreneurs.
The level at which these changes need to be happening, is at that of policy. So in terms of direct action you can take as a constituent - it's one you're probably familiar with by now: emailing your senators and asking them to prioritize cannabis reform, focusing on areas such as: de-scheduling (legalization), policing, racial and social equity, financing, access to resources and aid, and medical research.
Politico has an outline of some of the bills working through the system currently.
Further education:
An ACLU podcast interviewing two people directly effected by the war on cannabis.
A Drug Policy Alliance article asking use to reimagine who a "drug dealer" is.
