Open in app
Sign inGet started
Drug War History: Opium, Chinese Immigration & The Rise of the “Yellow Peril”

Drug War History: Opium, Chinese Immigration & The Rise of the “Yel...

America’s earliest federal drug control efforts were xenophobic, racist, and anti-immigrant efforts politicians tried to pass off as…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Drug War History: Anslinger, Armstrong and America’s Early Anti-Cannabis Crusade

Drug War History: Anslinger, Armstrong and America’s Early Anti-Can...

How racism, fears of miscegenation and one man’s all-consuming hatred of jazz drove America’s early anti-cannabis crusade.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Drug War History: The Myth of the Murdering, Marijuana-Smoking Mexican

Drug War History: The Myth of the Murdering, Marijuana-Smoking Mexican

In the 1920s, the rapidly-changing demographics of the American Southwest threatened the survival of the country’s racial caste system…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Drug War History: The Origins of Marihuana, the Mexican Menace

Drug War History: The Origins of Marihuana, the Mexican Menace

How income inequality, Mexican folk songs and the rise of Pancho Villa laid the early groundwork for America’s War on Drugs.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
A Friendly Reminder: Decriminalization Doesn’t Do Enough

A Friendly Reminder: Decriminalization Doesn’t Do Enough

Decriminalization measures aim to reduce the number of — and racial disparities related to — cannabis arrests. Unfortunately, these…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Enough with the Marijuana Malarkey

Enough with the Marijuana Malarkey

Biden’s anti-legalization position is becoming a political liability. It’s time the Presidential candidate changed his approach to…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Reefer Madness: The Racist Origins of Marijuana Prohibition

Reefer Madness: The Racist Origins of Marijuana Prohibition

Racism, xenophobia and one man’s all-consuming hatred of jazz kicked off the criminalization of cannabis; our illegal, “essential” plant.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
How FDR pulled the country out of the Great Depression.

How FDR pulled the country out of the Great Depression.

Roosevelt financed his New Deal policies—and helped to end the Great Depression—by repealing alcohol Prohibition. Could we do something…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
On the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Recent Cannabis-Related Rule Changes

On the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Recent Cannabis-Related Ru...

Full text of my public comment on the DEA’s proposal re: “Controls To Enhance the Cultivation of Marihuana for Research in the United…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Facts, not feelings, should drive the conversation about cannabis policy.

Facts, not feelings, should drive the conversation about cannabis p...

As a recent LA Times article demonstrates, America has a long tradition of allowing stories — not science — to dictate drug policy. This…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Smoking weed shouldn’t sentence someone to death.

Smoking weed shouldn’t sentence someone to death.

Even amid the pandemic, politicians are pushing back on calls to decarcerate our country’s correctional facilities. “Cannabis clemency”…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
People aren’t listening to public health advice.

People aren’t listening to public health advice.

Is American drug policy propping up our country’s “populist distrust of experts”?
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Will a secret memo bring an end to the world’s War on Drugs?

Will a secret memo bring an end to the world’s War on Drugs?

A recent lawsuit shows the US Drug Enforcement Agency has been violating international drug law for decades. The impact will reverberate…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Pot busts during a pandemic?

Pot busts during a pandemic?

Marijuana prohibition is the real danger to the public’s health and safety. Time to legalize cannabis once and for all.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
A botanical cure for the crisis?

A botanical cure for the crisis?

Legal cannabis could help the country tackle some of the social and economic consequences of COVID-19. It’s time to end our expensive…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Why Trump’s doubling-down on the War on Drugs

Why Trump’s doubling-down on the War on Drugs

The president is using drug war rhetoric to draw attention away from COVID-19. We can’t allow this escalation to distract us from the…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
The Catastrophe the Cannabis Industry Hasn’t Seen Coming

The Catastrophe the Cannabis Industry Hasn’t Seen Coming

A recent showdown in Chicago shows us why cannabis companies can’t continue to neglect social equity initiatives.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
Why Social Equity Matters

Why Social Equity Matters

We have an obligation to ensure the momentum behind marijuana legalization is accompanied by policies and programs that help to right the…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
The Equity Organization Announces Support For New York Pausing Cannabis Legalization Push

The Equity Organization Announces Support For New York Pausing Cann...

The New York-based nonprofit joins a growing coalition of cannabis activists, advocates and industry operators calling for legislative…
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
#WeedReads — The Green Rush

#WeedReads — The Green Rush

A reading list full of the best coverage of cannabis policy, politics and profits.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
#WeedReads—Call the Feds

#WeedReads—Call the Feds

A reading list full of the best coverage of cannabis policy, politics and profits.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
#WeedReads, The Devil’s Lettuce

#WeedReads, The Devil’s Lettuce

A reading list full of the best coverage of cannabis policy, politics and profits.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
10 reasons why now is the right time for social equity programs.

10 reasons why now is the right time for social equity programs.

If legislators don’t act quickly, they may miss their opportunity to help create a diverse and equitable cannabis industry.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
This is what happens when you lock a bunch of marijuana (policy) enthusiasts in a room for hours.

This is what happens when you lock a bunch of marijuana (policy) en...

You get a blueprint for the most diverse, equitable and sustainable cannabis industry the country has ever seen.
Go to the profile of Natalie Papillion
Natalie Papillion
About The Equity OrganizationLatest StoriesArchiveAbout MediumTermsPrivacy