The War On Drugs Has Failed. It’s Time To End It.
On his way out the door, former President Donald J. Trump pardoned or granted clemency to 32 non-violent drug offenders. Before that, Barack Obama pardoned or granted clemency to a record high of over 1000 inmates, with over a third of them serving life sentences. However, based on the numbers, this just isn’t enough. The Last Prisoner Project estimates that over 40,000 people have been convicted and are currently behind bars for non-violent drug offenses. Since failing to act on common-sense drug policies after stalling in 2014, Congress has spent over $47 billion annually on the war on drugs, targeting Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities that stand to have the most to lose. However, in direct contrast, the average cannabis sales in 2019 rose to almost $9 billion in the US, mainly benefiting rich, white men. Something is broken.
To put this in perspective, here is a story about Fate Winslow. In 2008, Winslow was approached by an undercover cop looking to “score $20 worth of cannabis.” A measly gram. Once the transaction was completed, Fate Winslow was arrested and under Louisiana law, was sentenced to life in prison. The dealer, who was white, was never arrested nor the details ever discussed in any legal documents. Fast forward a decade later, Winslow selling $20 wouldn’t be illegal but could even be considered part of his job in some states. While he has been recently released from jail, he is just one of many stories in which an individual suffers from a system designed to cheat and fail specific communities.
In 2020, the United States faced a real racial reckoning as the veil hiding systemic racism rooted within our communities was lifted. While the government tried to assure us they were actively combating this moral disease, anyone in the cannabis space knows that we need to look no further than our own industry, and the communities we serve, to find the damaging effects of the war on drugs, and its innately racist design. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the start of “reefer madness.”
After the end of alcohol prohibition, Harry Anslinger became the first real “drug czar” in the United States. Looking for a new drug to control, Anslinger was able to build off of the hysteria that comes with an “us vs. them” mentality. As the age of jazz, reconstruction and US rebirth revitalized and created new communities, Anslinger aimed to use Marijuana as the conduit to keep communities separated. In a new transcript from the 1930s, Anslinger was quoted as saying “ most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.” In fact, even the term “Marijuana” was meant as a derogatory term stemming from a plant produced across the border in Mexico making it dangerous and all those that use it, bad.
Not much has changed since the 1930’s when it comes to drug policy and sensible legislation for non-violent drug offenders. In fact, so little has been done, the newest administration, with help from Congress, in 2021 has admitted the need for change and signaled support for new cannabis initiatives supporting clemency, expungement, and social equity. In recent reporting from both Marijuana Moment and Politico, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recognizes the need for social equity into under-represented and targeted communities and the house has passed its own legislation called the Mores Act, echoing similar sentiments. States themselves have signaled support for social equity license holders, usually awarding licenses to more diverse candidates. But what does Social Equity actually mean?
According to Jeannette Ward Horton, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The NuLeaf Project, a social equity firm out of Portland, social equity is more than just pumping money into minority businesses. It’s about building an infrastructure that allows targeted communities to have an opportunity within an industry that they’ve not only been left out of… but penalized for. The NuLeaf Project is currently in the process of helping pass the Oregon Cannabis Equity Act LC 1467, focusing on Social Justice legislation. It’s not just about reparations and equity, but also defining a reparative justice system that includes automatic expungement, community investment, educational and technical support for minority-owned businesses, and a commission to focus solely on underrepresented communities within the cannabis space. The best part is, as members of the cannabis industry we each have a unique ability to ensure that those communities most affected by the war on drugs are successful. Jeannette mentions that sometimes it is literally as simple as joining your local community. By signing up for newsletters and joining in on events put on by local equity, clemency, and expungement firms. By educating yourself on the hurdles minority businesses face, and by being ready to take action when the time comes. We all have a part to play in this industry and each one of us can take small steps to ensure a more diverse, equal, and equitable outcome.
For more information on The NuLeaf Project please visit http://www.nuleafproject.org/. For more information on the Last Prisoner Project, please visit https://www.lastprisonerproject.org/. Join their newsletter today to learn how you can make a difference.
