Legal Marijuana Must Do More.
Cannabis tax revenues can do more than just balance budgets. We should use them to transform lives.
As someone working in drug reform policy, I appreciated the Wall Street Journal’s recent piece covering the growing trend of using cannabis tax revenues to try and plug local budget holes. This opportunity has been an effective talking point in advancing marijuana legalization proposals across the country (look no further than in New York, where Governor Cuomo is pushing forward on legalization by citing cannabis’s ability to help address some of the state’s budget issues).
However, it’s vital that lawmakers also use these cannabis tax revenues to fund programs that serve the individuals whose lives and communities have been destroyed by the misguided, racially-biased policies of America’s War on Drugs. While I appreciate the growing popularity of criminal justice reforms that tackle marijuana-related convictions, decriminalization and expungement bills don’t go far enough.
The legal marijuana sector has witnessed unprecedented levels of growth, and this new “Green Rush” is minting a new class of cannabis industry millionaires. Unfortunately, the spoils are (almost exclusively) flowing to a small group of wealthy, well-connected and disproportionately white players. This is unacceptable, especially considering the fact that the devastating effects of cannabis criminalization (almost exclusively) impact low-income and/or minority communities.
The opportunity to fund public programs has — and should continue to be — an important benefit of legalization. However, it can’t be the only one. Lawmakers across the country should follow the lead of states like Illinois and commit a substantial portion of the cannabis tax revenues they’re projecting to raise on “social equity” initiatives (incubators for under-resourced entrepreneurs, workforce development programs in underserved areas, investments in impacted communities, etc.).
We have a moral imperative to try and right the wrongs of the War on Drugs. We should start by investing in the very communities it harmed.
