It Is Time To Rectify the Damage Caused By the Immoral "War on Drugs"

It is clear the actual intented purposes behind Richard Nixon's failed "War on Drugs", his most lasting legacy, was actually quite successful. Putting people of color behind bars.

The "War on Drugs" lie is right up their with other racist legacies of America. Like slavery, Jim Crow laws,  the attempted genocide of our native poopuatiion, the imprisonment of Japaneese America during WW II, and more.

Excerpt from Stoner

The War on Drugs is finally experiencing a long-overdue counterattack from the states enacting plans for marijuana legalization.

Recent data supports the assertion that both African Americans and Caucasians consume marijuana equally.  Despite this, there is a huge disparity between the number of minorities and white americans being penalized and incarcerated for cannabis use or possession. African Americans, Hipics, and Caucasians each make up about 30% of the population in Oakland, California, but over 95% of the arrests for marijuana involve people of color*. In 2013, the ACLU released a study revealing that although African Americans made up 14% of the population in 2010, they were the victims of about 34% of arrests for marijuana across the country. The same report found that they were four times more likely to be arrested for pot.

Massachusetts was the first state to use language that specifically addressed minority groups in their ballot initiative, which mentioned the need to include those “disproportionately harmed by marijuana law enforcement.” However, the bill is vague regarding implementation of this sentiment.  Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio have also introduced measures that require diversity from its program participants.

The City of Oakland in California is breaking down industry barriers for longtime residents through the city’s marijuana equity permits. During the first phase of the program’s implementation, 50% of the marijuana business permits will be allotted to applicants whose lives have been affected by the War on Drugs, including those arrested for marijuana.

Although many state marijuana programs have been attempting to take steps toward an inclusive industry, probative elements persist, such as exorbitant licensing fees and substantial startup costs. Applicants for marijuana business permits must also undergo an extensive background check. In some states, these applicants have been deterred, waylaid or flat-out dismissed by state licensing authorities due to past charges for marijuana violations. 

As laws begin to change, it’s important for legal bootcamps like Rise Up, partly managed by the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), to occur with regularity.  MCBA’s most recent Rise Up “expungement day” was in Seattle last month, and the day-long event assisted citizens in the state of Washington in navigating the process of clearing their records of marijuana charges.  

*statistics derived from The Cannabist

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