The same system used to sell vodka will not guarantee Black power, Black ownership, or Justice.
Free My Weedman by Krystal Bush
Big corporations in Pennsylvania’s cannabis-based economy are making $150 million a month. Marketing teams create the latest strains like sneakers and dispensaries sparkle like Apple stores. The latest legalization of cannabis bill House Bill 1200 proposes the “state store” as a cornerstone.
It’s time to face the facts: selling marijuana through the same system as vodka won’t guarantee Black ownership, power in communities or justice. That isn’t a cannabis law, it’s just a state business plan.
Maybe I alienated too many people when I mentioned “black ownership.” The facts about our Commonwealth speak for themselves.
Since 2013, 189.509 arrests in Pennsylvania have resulted from possession of less 30 grams of marijuana. Pennsylvania arrests over 12,000 for just a few gram of marijuana. Black residents had a five-fold higher chance of being arrested than their white counterparts. The disparity can be even more pronounced in certain counties.
But I cannot support the HB 1200.
Why? Why? Because access and ownership are fundamental to equity. Ownership is not guaranteed for those who paid most in cannabis prohibition.
Remember: Pennsylvania’s present medical marijuana program was not created by Blacks or women. It wasn’t developed in Pennsylvania. Why trust a model that is even more heavily controlled by the state? How can victims of the prohibition own the products they created?
Joseph Akers, from North Philadelphia, is currently serving an 18-year cannabis sentence in New Jersey. Joseph Akers’ freedom, dignity and fatherhood were all taken away by the same cannabis plant that is now a billion-dollar industry.
Pennsylvania today allows companies to sell marijuana in sleek packaging, while Joseph gets labeled as a drug dealer and is rotting in prison for the same.
What’s worse? What’s worse? Because of this, you can easily buy Get a share of this emerging industry.
It is my understanding that cannabis remains illegal in the United States. The state might not be able to release Joseph, but We The People of Pennsylvania have the ability to restore the damage.
Pennsylvania should include a community equity clause that is binding in HB1200, which guarantees ownership to the most affected people, and not just leftovers.
Rep. Rick Karjewski, a Democrat who has a commitment to social justice and is on the forefront of social equity issues, should show transparency in his efforts to amend the HB1200 and rewrite it to focus more on health equity and not revenue.
State store models are looking in the wrong direction. Legislators should begin listening to the community’s stakeholders, not just corporate lobbyists. We’ll mobilize and organize if the legislators refuse to listen. They are responsible for building this community, and we want them to be heard.
The state cannot license justice. Call your legislators. Call your legislators and tell them that real equity is ownership, pathway for legacy operators.
This is not a discount license. You don’t have to wait years.
Full Circle Justice Reparative equity. Ownership is real. Now.
Kristal Bush, the director of Free My Weedman’s social impact department.
Can Cannabis Companies really wait for rescheduling to avoid the 280E tax penalty? (Op-Ed)
Side Pocket Images. Image courtesy Chris Wallis.