Black communities are far too familiar with being excluded from the table. This time around we are securing our own priority seating. The statistics are clear. Between 2010-2019, New Jersey spent 11.6 billion dollars enforcing the drug war. New Jersey arrests more people for marijuana than almost any other state. Black people are three to four times more likely to be arrested than whites for marijuana possession despite similar rates of use. The numbers don’t lie, but they only tell half of the story.
Staggering legal costs, thousands of dollars in fines and fees, costs incurred on commissaries and prison calls, as well as weekly commutes to visit incarcerated loved ones tell the other half. We may never be able to quantify costs associated with barriers to voting, public assistance, child custody, financial aid, housing, and employment which amounts to generations of economic opportunity and growth thwarted.
The current outrage surrounding cannabis medical licenses is understandable. The devastation of the war on drugs had effects that extended beyond incarceration. The destruction of Black families had a direct impact on generational wealth. As a legal cannabis market is established, we must prioritize wealth-building opportunities for Black businesses.
When it was signed into law last year, cannabis legalization provided some hope that New Jersey will finally begin to address decades of harm to Black communities. While the victory of legalization may be seen as an acknowledgment of the racist and egregious roots of the drug war, it is a win that wouldn’t have been possible without years of fierce advocacy by committed New Jerseyans. Ensuring that our cannabis industry is rooted in reparative justice will require that same fight.