Cannabis is often regarded as one of the world’s oldest harvested crops, dating back over 12,000 years. Indeed, the first settlers at Jamestown brought the hemp crop with them to North America.
During the colonial period, colonies such as Virginia awarded bounties for hemp cultivation and manufacturing. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are known to have cultivated hemp, and it is rumored that the first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper.
By 1850, cannabis appeared in the United States Pharmacopeia as a treatment for a host of medical ailments. Despite its many industrial and medicinal uses, beginning in the early 1900s, America’s attitude toward the cannabis plant began to shift in favor of prohibition.
By 1937, with the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act (which effectively outlawed cannabis in the United States), it was clear that America was no longer friendly to cannabis.
This begs the question, why did America, a country that had a strong relationship with cannabis since colonization, turn to prohibition?
The answer, which may come as a surprise to some but not others, is largely rooted in racism and xenophobia.
Currently, legalization is sweeping the country. However, for many, especially those in the communities most negatively impacted by the War on Drugs, entry into the legal cannabis industry is, at present, unrealistic.
The injustices of the past, which unfairly targeted communities of color, are repeating themselves as the victims of the War on Drugs are being blocked from entry into the legal market. Even worse, thousands of persons are still languishing in prison for cannabis offenses, even in those states with legal cannabis programs.
We must make room for those communities and individuals most impacted by the failed War on Drugs in the legal cannabis industry.
As part of those efforts, we must institute reforms, not only in relation to cannabis itself, but also to our criminal justice and policing systems.
Such reforms should center around social equity and social justice, while at the same time addressing how our current criminal justice and policing systems perpetuate systemic racism and the corresponding attitudes that have propelled the War on Drugs in this country.
The legal cannabis industry itself must step up and play a significant role in these reform efforts, as well as assisting with employment and other re-entry opportunities for cannabis offenders.
Stay tuned Green Scene! Another War on Drugs segment from The Leafy Lawyer releasing tomorrow. . .
