While the current illicit market is composed of people representing all populations, people of color have been the specific target of efforts to enforce prohibition. Regulating this industry with provisions to ensure diversity in licensing and employment represents a crucial first step toward repairing the harms of the drug war and alleviating the disproportionate burden that communities of color have borne as a result. Ending prohibition is SMART for racial justice because it will combat the hyper-criminalization of communities of color and provide new opportunities for social and economic advancement.
Resources
- The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act: Racial Justice Considerations
- Repairing the Harms of the Drug War: Diversity and Inclusion in the Marijuana Industry
- A SMART Solution to New York’s Senseless Marijuana Arrests: Tax and Regulate Marijuana in New York State
- Marijuana Prohibition and Policing
More campaign fact sheets available here