COVID-19 vaccines are all we’re talking about. Here’s what you should avoid once you land your coveted appointment.
The pandemic has been rough on all of us and vaccines are the way out of this year-long misery. So naturally, they’re the hottest commodity around. But as more and more people become eligible for the vaccine, appointments are getting hard to come by. When you actually get one, don’t let it go to waste by not giving your body the necessary tools it needs to benefit from the shot.
The CDC posted some guidelines you should follow once you snag an appointment to get the maximum benefits.
Don’t take over the counter medications ahead of time
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It may seem natural to take a couple of ibuprofen or Tylenol ahead of your appointment in order to prevent strong symptoms. But you shouldn’t do this. While it’s not a big deal if you do, drugs like ibuprofen might limit your body’s response to the vaccine, preventing a more robust response from your immune system. While no one wants to feel crappy, if you do, it likely just means your vaccine is working and your immune system is fighting it off in order to build a better response to it.
Vaccines can feel pretty crappy and you shouldn’t force yourself to stay active or go for a workout. Listen to your body and give it what it needs, even if this means a full day of naps and Netflix. Hopefully your vaccine appointment lands on a Saturday.
Don’t get other vaccines
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While the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, it’s still pretty new. There’s not enough data out there to inform officials on whether or not it’s safe to have in your body if you were to get a flu shot around the same time.
Wear clothes that allow upper arm access
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Now that spring has commenced, you’re more likely to wear comfier clothes for your vaccine appointment. Avoid wearing anything that’s too tight or that doesn’t allow for the sleeve to roll up. When in doubt, just look to Dolly Parton’s vaccine outfit.
Hydration is always important, especially 1) when you’ve been vaccinated and 2) if you’re experiencing flu like symptoms. Water will help your immune system process the vaccine by developing a better response to it and helping you cope with the loss of water that could occur with a fever.
Keep your vaccination card safe
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While the introduction of vaccine passports is only a matter of time, it’s important to keep your vaccination card safe — you’ll need it in order to get your second shot. The CDC recommends laminating it or taking a photograph of it, that way you can always have that backup.
While prison isn’t necessarily the outcome for most who get busted for marijuana crimes, hundreds of thousands are still being locked up in the criminal justice system every year.
One of the hottest topics surrounding the marijuana discussion as of late has been eliminating the criminal records of those people convicted of marijuana crimes throughout the years. Illinois got the trend going in 2019 when it made expungement part of its plan to end pot prohibition statewide.
Now, other states and local jurisdictions are looking into it too. The overall goal is to give opportunity back to the people who have endured hardships as a result of a marijuana conviction. And, the cannabis community is excited about the possibilities. The only problem is, not everyone who has been convicted of a marijuana offense is going to be let off the hook.
In the eyes of some, it might seem a bit unfair to wipe away the criminal record of those who have broken the law. After all, we’re not making it a point to forgive most crimes. But what they might not understand is the level of unfairness associated with this offense and the damage it has done. There have been hundreds of thousands of people incarcerated in state and federal penitentiaries for weed over the decades. To make matters worse, most of them were non-violent offenders.
And while prison isn’t necessarily the outcome for most of those who get busted for marijuana crimes in this day and age, hundreds of thousands are still being jammed up in the criminal justice system every year. FBI data shows those number still rank in at well over 600,000 annually.
A lot of these folks end up with a record in their youthful years, which causes them trouble when they go to apply for college, housing, employment and other highly sought after aspects of the American dream. Marijuana offenders are often considered pariahs in the midst of civil society, which is the reason many lawmakers are leading the charge to clean the slate. They want to make good on old drug war policies that should have never been enforced in the first place. This means scrubbing pot offenses from the equation, and allowing these people to get on with their lives.
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Los Angeles and San Francisco have already expunged hundreds of thousands of marijuana convictions since California went legal a few years back. Illinois also moved on a slew of marijuana convictions last year. Even former president Donald Trump, a man who did not support legalization, was known to pardon offenders caught up in offenses associated with federal marijuana laws.
One of the people he pardoned before he left office was Crystal Munoz who spent 12-years in prison for her role in a pot distribution ring. Trump pardoned her because she “has mentored people working to better their lives, volunteered with a hospice program, and demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to rehabilitation,” according to the White House.
So what does a marijuana expungement do? Well, once a person’s record is sealed, it is perfectly acceptable for them to say, “I don’t have a criminal record.” They are no longer required by law to list their pot offense on applications for employment, housing, or anything else for that matter.
It’s like the crime never actually happened.
More jurisdictions are seeing this minor reform as an act of good faith. In fact, even though marijuana is still mostly illegal in Missouri, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced last year his decision to eliminate marijuana convictions. “I want to be able to do for these folks is to say, ‘You might have made a mistake at some point,’ but that we’re going to be fair in how we apply, frankly, the law in Kansas City and in Missouri,” he said in an interview with the Kansas City Star.
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At the state level, Maryland is considering a bill mandating that “all court records and police records relating to any … charge of possession of marijuana, … where marijuana is the only charge, the case shall be automatically expunged on or before October 1, 2022.” The bill was separate from another measure seeking to decriminalize minor pot possession statewide.
Although all of the expungement policies are different depending on the state or county, the one thing they all have in common is that only the pettiest of marijuana offenses are getting a free pass. The expungement process is only for those offenders who have been convicted of low-level pot crimes. That could mean the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. Pounds, not so much.
But the offenders who don’t stand a chance of having their records cleared are those whose offenses were also wrapped up in violence or gun charges. Most expungements, regardless of where they take place in the United States, are done on a case by case basis. Yet, so far, no officials have agreed to budge on marijuana offenses attached to more serious crimes. And that is not likely to change anytime soon.
New York became the 15th state in the U.S. to legalize recreational cannabis Wednesday with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature.
The bill enables adult New York residents to own up to 3 ounces of cannabis or 24 grams of cannabis concentrates and to legally buy recreational cannabis from licensed retailers.
Cannabis Analyst On New York’s Market Potential
In five to seven years, the New York recreational cannabis market could reach $7 billion in sales, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Pablo Zuanic said in a Wednesday note, using the Colorado market as a benchmark.
“For modeling purposes, we assume NY rec starts 7/1/22, and project sales of $2.1Bn for the first 12 months between rec and med.”
A company with 15% of the market share could yield $110 million in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) from New York alone by the time the sales reach $7 billion, said Zuanic.
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MSO Lobby Stronger Than Assumed
The latest version of Bill S.854, the one that was signed by Cuomo, enables the vertically integrated licensed recreational operators to sell to third-party stores, Zuanic said, adding that the original version of the bill allowed the operators to sell only to three of their own stores.
Noting this “last-minute change,” Zuanic said the multi-state operator lobby is more powerful than assumed.
Out of seven publicly listed companies with existing operations in New York, Zuanic highlighted Curaleaf Hldgs Inc.CURLF 0.13%, Green ThumbGTBIF 1.69% and Cresco Labs (Pink:CRLBF).
Once the list of medical conditions that qualify patients for medical cannabis and the list of allowed product formats are expended, the state medical cannabis program could “see more pronounced growth,” he said.
The cannabis vape cartridge market has experienced an increase in the number of fake products, especially in unregulated states.
Vaping is an amazing way of enjoying cannabis. Yes, smoking directly and even munching on edibles are great, but vaping is rapidly becoming the preferred method of consumption for most cannabis users.
Sadly, as vaping gains popularity, the number of fake vape cartridges in the market increases, threatening the cannabis vaping process. The issue with fake vape cartridges goes beyond just having a phony item; this is an item you use to take a substance into your body which means you are vulnerable to contamination.
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The number of patients at the hospital sick because of vaping-associated pulmonary injuries has also increased thus making it a dire problematic situation that needs to be addressed swiftly.
If you love and enjoy using a disposable vaporizer cartridge, you’ve got to ensure it is not a fake, and this article will help you. Generally, the first step to ensuring you don’t get a fake vape cartridge is buying from legit sources. Always ensure that you purchase the vape cartridges from a licensed dispensary: please don’t buy from anyone who is not authorized.
Here are some other helpful tips that can help you avoid purchasing a fake vape cartridge.
Ensure that the license is authentic and it exists
The first rule for ensuring that a vape cartridge is genuine is to check for a permit. The manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers should have rights, so it is probably fake if it is too difficult to verify its approval.
Legal stores and products should post their license number; this shouldn’t be ignored. Please check out The Bureau of Cannabis Control Website to check if a store is registered with a licensed retailer.
If there is no licensed number, the store is not regulated, and a lack of regulation means the store is running its show. You don’t want to get vape cartridges from a store running its show.
Always check the vape cartridge packaging
The packaging will always reveal itself; if it looks fishy, it is definitely fishy! The original vape labels will always have the following: A batch number, a packaging date, manufacturing date, manufacturer’s location, and many numbers.
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If you don’t see these details on the packaging, please don’t justify it and don’t get it. You are looking at a fake product, and if you ahead to buy it, you will be putting your lugs at risk.
Avoid fake copycats
There are lots of fraudulent vape cartridges manufactured by fictitious brands containing toxic products. These fake products are adaptations of famous brands with websites selling pack cartridges in 100s.
You will know it is a copycat when you see the counterfeit labels that mimic the legal cannabis brand, which means you should know the differences between the original and a copy.
Read about the ingredients
Many vape tanks contain diluents like propylene glycol, medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil, and vegetable glycerin. These oils are added to give the cannabis extracts a liquid consistency so you can easily vape.
Photo by Vaporesso via Unsplash
But not all diluents are right for you, so always read the labels and ingredients to ensure that you do the right thing. For example, a new thickener called Vitamin E acetate is under investigation for being a potential cause of vaping-related illnesses.
Avoiding certain ingredients will help you stay healthy and safe as you vape cannabis. Remember that you will expose your lungs to the vaping process, and don’t take this idea for granted.
Know the brands
This is not a good time to experiment with new brands; you are safer with a known and established brand with a record of producing healthy cartridges. All major brands will most likely be licensed, so start by looking for the brands that have existed for many years.
Buy from brands with an established reputation and those with an active social media platform. These brands will get things right by the book because they don’t want to put a dent in their reputation.
New ad unknown brands can do whatever they like because they have nothing to lose. Such brands can be dangerous to users, and unsuspecting wholesalers will sell these products to retailers, reselling them, thus putting them at risk. Buy from known brands: this is a simple and easy way to get the correct vape cartridge.
Photo by Toan Nguyen via Unsplash
Check lab results
All licensed brands provide and publish test results so retailers can understand the scientific process involved with creating the cartridges. So always ask your budtender for the product’s certificate of analysis (COA) before purchasing the item.
Some fake brands may also have illicit lab results with photo-shopped COA, so please be careful with this idea. Licensed dispensaries should also check all COAs to avoid putting illegal products in their shops. You can also check with the lab where the product was tested to confirm that all results are accurate. You find information about the lab on the COA as well, and if it is not an actual lab address, then the product is fake.
Trust your instincts about a product
Lastly, when you go shopping for vape cartridges, if you feel like something is not right about the product, please go with your instincts. If you have already bought it and you’re already using it, stop using it immediately.
Photo by Christian Wiediger via Unsplash
Most diluents are colorless, odorless, and tasteless, making it even more difficult for lab analysis to detect them. So taste and smell wouldn’t be beneficial to you all the time. However, if you feel like something is wrong, don’t take unnecessary risks.
Bottom line
The cannabis vape cartridge market has experienced an increase in the number of fake products, especially in unregulated states. If you don’t take the precautions we have discussed thus far, you may end up with one and expose yourself to contamination.
Those in the illicit market copy legitimate brands so brilliantly that if you don’t pay close attention, you may end up with a fake thinking it’s the real deal. As we enjoy the benefits of cannabis, we should also ensure that we are protected with the tools we use, for that is how to maximize the benefits of cannabis.
“These important policy changes will ensure that consumers going forward will no longer suffer criminal arrest and prosecution, while also remedying past injustices caused by the drug war.” — NORML
New Mexico is one step away from becoming the 17th state to legalize cannabis for adult use and the fourth state to adopt a legalization policy by passing a bill through its state legislature. The last stop is Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk for signing. New Mexico follows New York state, which also took this route to full legalization. Illinois and Vermont chose the legislator path while 13 other states have legalized by voter initiative.
Members of the New Mexico House and Senate gave their final approval on Wednesday to two separate measures amending the state’s marijuana laws. The first legalizes and regulates marijuana possession, production, and sales for adults. The second facilitates the automatic review and expungement of the records of those convicted of low-level marijuana offenses.
“New Mexico legislators and advocates deserve a round of applause as they are on the verge of legalizing cannabis for adult use. This year is proving to be nothing short of monumental for the cannabis policy reform movement. State legislatures across the nation are recognizing the urgent need to end cannabis prohibition and are rising to the challenge,” said Steve Hawkins, executive director at the Marijuana Policy Project. MPP said in a statement that under HB 2, personal possession of up to two ounces of cannabis and home cultivation of six mature plants will be legal for adults 21 and over. Additionally, HB 2 includes measures that would encourage those who were disproportionately impacted by prohibition to enter the new industry. Legal sales would begin no later than April 1, 2022. A companion bill provides for automatic expungement.
Commenting on the bills’ passage, NORML State Policies Manager Carly Wolf said: “This is a historic day for New Mexico! These important policy changes will ensure that consumers going forward will no longer suffer criminal arrest and prosecution, while also remedying past injustices caused by the drug war. I commend lawmakers for working together to craft legislation that prioritizes social justice and inclusion. Passage of this legislation will ensure that minor marijuana possession offenders, many of them young people, are no longer saddled with a criminal record and the lifelong penalties and stigma associated with it.”
Emily Kaltenbach, Senior Director for the Resident States and New Mexico for the Drug Policy Alliance said, “New Mexicans are finally able to exhale. After many years of hard work, another whirlwind legislative session, and input from stakeholders throughout the state, social justice-centered cannabis legalization is on its way to the Governor’s desk, where she has already agreed to sign. We thank the Governor and our legislative allies for not taking ‘no’ for an answer and stopping at nothing until we were able to get justice for New Mexico communities—particularly Hispanic/Latinx, Black, Native and Indigenous—that have been immensely harmed by cannabis prohibition.”
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She added, “Today’s passage of the cannabis legalization and expungement package will ensure equitable opportunities for farmers and other small businesses, and long overdue justice—including automatic expungement—for those with past cannabis arrests or convictions. And it doesn’t stop there. We still have our work cut out for us to fully repair the damage that has been done as a result of the war on drugs, and that means coming back during the 2022 budget session to ensure funds are made available for critical reinvestment in the communities that have been most harmed.”
NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri added: “New Mexico joins an ever-growing list of states that have realized the failures of marijuana prohibition and the harms it brings to their communities and citizens. They are the third state so far this year that has approved legalization via the legislative process and we expect several more will follow suit in a short period of time. The American people are demanding an end to prohibitionist policies that have wreaked havoc on communities of color, squandered countless millions in taxpayer dollars, and wasted limited judicial and law enforcement resources on criminalizing otherwise law-abiding individuals for possession of a product that is objectively less harmful than currently legal alcohol and tobacco.
“Thankfully lawmakers at the state level are finally implementing the will of their constituents and, by doing so, they are applying further pressure on the federal government to finally deschedule marijuana nationally and end this ongoing tension between state and federal policies.”
A new study suggests marijuana could have a significant impact on developing brains, making it more likely for teens to become addicted.
Legal marijuana doesn’t appear to trigger more cannabis use in teens, but new research shows that some concern is warranted. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, suggests teen brains are more vulnerable to marijuana and opioid addiction, making these users more likely to get hooked on drugs when compared to young adults.
Instead of limiting the study to nicotine, alcohol and cannabis, like previous studies of this type have done in the past, researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse looked for a wide variety of drug use, such as painkillers, cigarettes, tranquilizers, stimulants, marijuana, alcohol and more. They specifically studied two groups of young people: ages 12 to 17 and 18 to 25.
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Overall, the younger the subjects were, the more likely it was for them to grow a dependency on the substance. When comparing marijuana statistics, researchers noted that teens were 11% more likely to develop an addiction when compared to young adults, who came in at only 6%. Within three years of their initial use of the drug, 20% of adolescents were more likely to grow dependent on it. Young adults didn’t report this same behavior.
While it’s possible that people with a greater predisposition for drug addiction seek out these experiences from a young age, one of the senior authors of the study, Dr. Nora Volkow, told the New York Times that cannabis and other drugs are likely to have an impact on a developing brain, and that drugs like cannabis are more likely to alter synaptic connections in younger brains, leading to stronger memories of pleasure and reward.
As marijuana becomes legalized in more and more states, the role of teen drug use continues to remain prevalent. But, while cannabis use shouldn’t be encouraged in teens, marijuana programs across the country have proved that their existence doesn’t make it easier for teens to access these drugs. Legal marijuana is likely to limit black market marijuana, which tends to be lower quality and easier to access.
If Senate Democrats can find a way to get a decriminalization bill through Congress, it would surely be signed into law.
The cannabis community has been sniffing around for the past month, trying to figure out what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer means when discussing the comprehensive cannabis reform bill he wants to pass this year. All of the evidence suggests that the U.S. Senate will hear legislation aimed at legalizing the leaf nationwide.
However, the intentions of the highly anticipated bill, which Schumer says will be introduced “shortly,” are becoming clearer. And the focus seems more likely to call for “decriminalization” than legalization. When Schumer was asked recently which reform model he supported, his response suggested the two terms were one and the same. “At the federal level, you call it ‘decriminalization’ because that lets the states legalize,” he explained.
But legalization and decriminalization are not the same. As we have seen happen in several states, legalization allows for a taxed and regulated cannabis market where adults 21 and older can buy weed in a way similar to beer. Decriminalization is a term usually meant to describe the elimination of criminal penalties associated with minor pot possession. It still punishes pot offenders with small fines, and it doesn’t come with the infrastructure to grow and sell weed legally.
Interestingly, Schumer said a couple of weeks ago that the Senate’s cannabis reform plan would prevent Big Tobacco and Big Alcohol from taking over the cannabis market. There’s already been lobbying efforts that point in that direction. But Schumer claims they won’t get far under his proposal.
Still, stopping them from participating seemed unlikely if a taxed and regulated market were to unfold. It’s a free country and all, and capitalism is the name of the game. So everyone with enough money to play can have at it. But corporations wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if Senate Democrats push decriminalization. There would be no nationwide market. Presumably, Democrats hope to eliminate criminal penalties and put states at ease about legalization. Many jurisdictions have refused to legalize until the federal government relaxes its stance.
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“We don’t want the big tobacco companies and the big liquor companies to swoop in and take over,” Senator Schumer said in a video. “The legislation we have will make sure that smaller businesses, businesses in communities of color, get the advantage because communities of color have paid the price for decades. They should at least get something back. “For decades,” Schumer continued, “young men who were arrested with a small amount of marijuana in their pockets served long prison terms, and then they had a felony record and could never make themselves right.”
Perhaps the goal of the Senate Democrats’ cannabis reform bill will be to provide a safe pathway for smaller cannabis businesses to operate in their respective states without concern for the corporate takeovers that would surely arise if federal legalization were to happen. At this point, we can only speculate.
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All things considered, going the route of decriminalization makes the most sense. After all, President Biden supports the concept of decriminalizing marijuana. It was part of his campaign platform. So if Senate Democrats can find a way to get a decriminalization bill through Congress — something that won’t be easy considering their slim majority and the filibuster — it would surely be signed into law.
Rest assured, there are plenty of roadblocks ahead for whatever model the Democrats propose. We will just have to wait for the bill to be submitted to gain more clarity into the fine details. One thing is sure, it will be interesting to see what kind of clever scheme Senate Democrats have to push this legislation all the way.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed recreational marijuana into law today, making the Empire State the 15th in the U.S. to legalize cannabis.
The legislation allows adults 21 and older to possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis or 24 grams of marijuana concentrates and to buy recreational cannabis from licensed retailers.
The bill also permits the cultivation of up to three mature and three immature plants for personal use.
In addition, it will also help those unfairly punished for a marijuana-related activity that would now be legal.
#BREAKING: I just signed legislation legalizing adult-use cannabis.
The bill creates automatic expungement of previous marijuana convictions that would now be legal.
This is a historic day.
I thank the Leader and Speaker and the tireless advocacy of so many.
Highlights From New York Legislation: New Yorkers will be allowed to smoke marijuana publicly wherever tobacco is allowed, The New York Times reported, adding that municipalities and a new state agency could add stricter regulations.
Smoking will not be allowed in schools, at work or in cars.
New York legalized medical cannabis in 2014, capping the number of operators at 10. Medical operators in the state will now be able to enter the recreational market by paying a one-time fee, the Times reported.
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Those 10 medical marijuana operators include the publicly traded cannabis companies Columbia Care Inc. (OTCQX:CCHWF), Curaleaf Hldgs Inc. (OTCQX:CURLF), MedMen Enterprises Inc. (OTCQX:MMNFF), Acreage Holdings Inc (OTCQX:ACRHF) and Vireo Health International Inc. (OTCQX:VREOF).
The Path To Approval: New York lawmakers approved the bill to legalize marijuana on Tuesday night, just days following the release of the latest text.
The state’s Assembly passed it by a vote of 100-49, ABC7 New York writes.
“That’s what’s good about this legislation … we’re going to turn around the lives of some of those people and help them to be able to take care of themselves, their families, and their communities,” said Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes.
According to a 2020 study, bongs, bowls and vape pens contain 50% more bacteria than a public toilet and around 90% more than a garbage dumpster.
Ready or not, live music is set to make its long-awaited return in 2021. Although the COVID-19 debacle put concerts on hold for more than a year, the word on the street is that we could see these events making a comeback in the coming months.
Bob Ruox, president of Live Nation’s U.S. concerts, recently told Rolling Stone in a statement that “all signs point to 2021 getting back to the summer concert season we all know and love. With vaccines being available to everyone in May,” he continued, “we’re confident events can return to regular capacity soon after.”
To some antsy music lovers, this news sounds like society is about to return to normal, and everything we love about live shows — camaraderie with strangers, expensive beer, free drugs — is on the fringe of a resurgence. But not so fast. While Americans will get out this summer and feed their sonically deprived ears with loud guitars and a reason to live, caution will continue to be a requirement. Most of the immunization era restrictions will come with limited seating and masks, but health pros probably won’t warn Americans about another significant health risk:Smoking marijuana with others.
Listen, marijuana and concerts have been a thing since the inception of, well, marijuana and concerts. Many of us got our first experience with weed while watching musicians perform onstage. But times are a-changing, even though Bob Dylan probably never thought his lyrics would mean that we’d have to, one day, amend the way we use pot as part of the concert experience. Even with Dr. Fauci saying that people should be able to feel safe being in an audience by “early-to-mid fall,” the science surrounding the spread of viruses remains the same. So, maybe taking a hit off the joint getting passed around the crowd isn’t the best move this year.
We know that COVID-19 travels mostly from person-to-person by way of respiratory droplets. It’s the reason everyone has been walking around faceless for the past 12 months. Other viruses, like herpes, can also spread through saliva. So whether we are talking about a virus that could have you on life support by September or just one that makes your lips look like a deleted scene of a horror film, smoking marijuana (or anything else for that matter) with others should be avoided.
Studies have shown that consuming marijuana through smoking devices is filthy business anyway. According to a 2020 study, bongs, bowls and vape pens contain 50% more bacteria than a public toilet and around 90% more than a garbage dumpster. Furthermore, the average smoking device — like the one you might have in front of you right now — has 1304% more bacteria than a dog food bowl, 530% more than a cell phone screen, 92% more than an ATM keypad, and 62% more than the handle on a shopping cart.
Photo by Sebastian Ervi from Pexels
So, yeah, smoking marijuana in a communal setting is pretty disgusting. Some of you might even have compromised immune systems after being on lockdown for the past year. Even though many are getting vaccinated as a way to stave off the Rona — and studies have shown that vaccinations are extremely effective — they’re still willing to lick the cannabis equivalent of a toilet seat. So in the interest of a healthier America, maybe it’s better if concerts are BYOB for a while.
It’s conceivable that we might need to rethink how we use pot at concerts from here on out. Thanks to legalization in more states, that’s easier to do now than it has been in the past. There is a whole slew of cannabis products on the market these days designed for the personal pot experience. Edibles and vape pens are among some of the most popular.
Sure, a lot of old-time stoners refuse to give up smoking as their favorite consumption method, and that’s perfectly fine. We need those people to fill the air at concerts with the aroma of marijuana to let us know that the drum solo is around the corner. Just keep that soggy, fish-lipped, petri dish to yourselves.
It’s up to entrepreneurs, activists, and various public entities to create campaigns making their local cannabis industries less exclusive and much more inclusive.
The statistics on disproportionate arrests against Black people when it comes to marijuana-related crimes are nothing short of shocking. Systemic racism plagues the industry, and cannabis crimes are just one part of it.
A recent study reveals that Black individuals have a 3.6 times higher risk of being arrested for cannabis possession compared to white people within the United States, and this racial gap only continues to grow. From 2010 to 2018, this gap increased 300% in 20 counties, and in Tennessee the gap rose by 977%.
There were 49 states participating in the study, excluding Florida, and it revealed that Montana had the highest racial disparity rates. This is where Black people have a 10 times higher risk to be arrested for cannabis crimes compared to whites; Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa and West Virginia weren’t too far behind and in these states Black people have a 7x higher risk of being incarcerated. However, in two of these states, recreational cannabis was recently legalized so it has nothing to do with the state’s overall attitudes when it came to cannabis use.
Meanwhile, Colorado had the least racial disparity rates, followed by California and Oregon. Recreational cannabis was already legal in these states during the period of data collection.
“All too often I see suspicious police reports that justify traffic stops and detentions of Black people with suspicious justifications ultimately leading to a search and seizure of their persons. It’s these kinds of suspicious justifications that I rarely see as much when the individual is white,” explained Brian Joslyn of Joslyn Law Firm. “I believe the data clearly shows that Black people are being targeted by police. It would be impossible to suggest otherwise.”
Josly tells GreenState that he believes the legalization of marijuana is necessary to remove the racial prejudice that is affecting the industry now. Until it happens, law enforcement will only continue to detain and search an unfair number of Black people for cannabis law violations. “What needs to occur are policy changes within the police departments that train and instruct officers to only pull over or detain individuals for well-established violations of law,” he says. “In addition, all officers should be equipped with both cruiser cams and body cams so their arrests can be reviewed and verified, and our state legislatures need to further work and protect individuals’ Fourth Amendment rights through the passage of laws that would raise the standards for law enforcement to search one’s person or property.”
Cannabis Business Opportunities Still Limited For Black People
Aside from that, Black people are also struggling to make it in the cannabis industry. Back in 2017, only 4.3% of marijuana business owners were Black, reported Marijuana Business Daily. Meanwhile, white people made up 81% of business owners.
But it’s a messed up situation, because while Blacks are already suffering from disproportionate arrests, having any felony convictions for cannabis crimes means you will have a challenging time getting a cannabis business license in several states. For example, in California, you can’t get a license if you have a felony involving a controlled substance within the last three years. In Colorado, license applicants shouldn’t have any felonies with controlled substances within the last decade.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash
Another survey conducted by Marijuana Business Daily revealed that 19% of participants who founded a cannabis business and/or possess ownership stakes in cannabis businesses are composed of racial minorities. According to Jesce Horton, board chairman and co-founder of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, there’s a much smaller portion of minority cannabis business owners. “The biggest need and the biggest disparity and the biggest outrage has been the licensing process and the ability for small businesses to first get into the market, and then to survive after dealing with large taxes, huge licensing fees or all these other things that we fear are shaping up in opposition of minority entrepreneurship,” he says.
The racial wealth gap is difficult to overcome. Black business owners already have a hard time getting loans, so while they can make use of equity programs to some extent, Black people who obtain licenses may end up having to partner with white firms to get the financing they need. As a result, big corporations end up dominating the space because it’s so much easier for them to raise capital and afford better attorneys.
At the end of the day, there is a huge opportunity; after all, it’s been a billion dollar business for a very long time now. In fact, Blacks were primarily the ones distributing cannabis decades ago, so out of everyone, they should have the biggest advantage in terms of expertise.
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While there seems to be no legislation that will make policing more just, it’s up to entrepreneurs, activists, and various public entities to create campaigns making their local cannabis industries less exclusive and much more inclusive. The wealth gap that exists is because of so many systemic imbalances which are prevalent in the cannabis industry too. Some states have taken action, like Colorado’s Senate Bill 224, established in 2019 to create an accelerator program so that underfunded entrepreneurs can make use of existing cannabis facilities to jump-start their business while operating on a micro-license.
What can cannabis businesses do to tackle racial disparity?
There are solutions out there. The Black Cannabis Equity Initiative (BCEI) partnered with LightShade and MedPharm, Colorado-based businesses, to develop a report card that they can use to determine and improve the racial inclusivity in their business. They also offer an referral service for matching job candidates with businesses that have committed to employ people of color.
So there are these initiatives that exist, but it’s up to businesses to do the work and make a change for people of color.
