Marijuana Laws vs. People of Color in the US

To many of you, this may be old news, but marijuana has long been weaponized against people of color in the US. There’s plenty of writing on it: this short article does a great job summarizing the history of the plant’s relationship with slavery, the war on drugs, and the incarceration of black and brown people in the US. It does not, however, discuss Mexico which has faced unjust scrutiny as well - more here.

From my understanding, the definition of ethnobotany is how individuals use plants in a more utilitarian sense - tools, medicines, foods. But I feel examples like these, and what’s going on with G. tournefortii in Israel, force an expansion of the definition to include institution’s structural applications of plants. In the cases of Marijuana in the US, and G. tournefortii in Israel, plants are being transformed into weapons of the state. Their regulations offer further patrolling, and criminalization, of marginalized communities.

Additional Reading:

Marijuana Legalization Is a Racial Justice Issue

These three acts weaponized weed against Black Americans

Marijuana’s racist history shows the need for comprehensive drug reform

Racism and Its Effect on Cannabis Research

I will continue to add to this list.