Its time we demand Social Justice & Equity In the Ohio Medical Cannabis industry
By Gerald Moore Jr.
In 1971, before I was even born, a government-led initiative coined “The War on Drugs” was enacted to stop illegal drug use, distribution and trade, by dramatically increasing prison sentences for both drug dealers and users. That movement is still evolving today.
This war, though, became more about race than actual drugs, and the statistics and current opioid epidemic prove it.
Today, the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for an end to the War on Drugs, estimates that the United States spends $51 billion annually on these initiatives. By 2010, drug offenders in federal prisons increased to 500,000 per year — up from 41,000 in 1985.
According to civil rights lawyer, advocate and author Michelle Alexander, drug-related charges accounted for more than half the rise in state prisoners between 1985 and 2000. 31 million people have been arrested on drug-related charges — approximately 1 in 10 Americans.
Because of the War on Drugs, many Black communities have been destroyed. Removing parents and children from homes caused a domino effect that has crippled our Black economy.
It is now 2021, and medical marijuana has been legal for five years, with the first legal sale happening in 2019. The problem with the current legalization of the cannabis industry is that there has been very little effort by states and local governments to right the wrongs of the social injustices that have plagued our communities for decades.
As a medical cannabis patient, advocate, and entrepreneur, it is nearly impossible to partake in the legal market because of the cost of licenses and lack of social equity among cannabis business ownership in cultivators, processors, or dispensaries.
According to Marijuana Business Daily, the United States cannabis industry’s economic impact could hit $130 billion by 2024. This means the industry is producing jobs and revenue for states and cities nationwide, that our communities are still locked out of — forcing individuals to still partake in illicit legacy markets. And with legalization, big companies and people with money, but not the necessary information, are investing in the industry, because they see dollar signs, but fail to seek to righting the injustices our communities have faced because of this drug.
In order to fix this problem, our community must rally around our brothers and sisters that have been wrongfully prosecuted and imprisoned for cannabis, and we must work to get their records expunged immediately. Next, these individuals must be given a fair and equitable shot to get involved in the industry. Finally, we need to push the Ohio legislature to provide a comprehensive social equity and social justice initiative for the Black community, so that we can restore our communities and begin to create equity ownership and opportunities in the cannabis industry, which will help our economy, by creating ownership, jobs, and providing a holistic medicine that will assist overall community health and wellbeing.
Gerald can be reached at GMoore@OhioMBE.com
Editor’s Note—We are excited to have Gerald Moore, Jr., join our team. His monthly column will offer views and insights from a Black millennial. Gerald is a husband, father, motivational speaker, former standout athlete and entrepreneur.
