This cannabis is fighting the war on drugs
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Support organizations working to heal the havoc from the drug wars by buying high quality weed.
With every new state legalizing cannabis, it’s a blow to the war on drugs, a violent, decade-long federal government effort wreaking havoc in black and brown communities – but not as strong a blow as you might think. By and large, cannabis legalization barely takes into account the far-reaching, profound damage that these policies are still doing.
Communities hardest hit by the drug war are the least likely to benefit from legal markets. America’s cannabis industry is valued at more than $ 13 billion, and while many are reaping the rewards of legalization, many states opened their markets to the harm of dangerous, failed drug policies with little to no mitigation.
14 percent of Americans are black, but only 2 percent of around 30,000 cannabis companies are black-owned. States rarely add career pipeline programs to their cannabis policies, and often lack measures to distribute licenses fairly, making it even more difficult for those who have been expelled to break in. States with legal cannabis but no way of nonviolent cannabis-related convictions double that damage – so while licensees benefit from cannabis, some former breeders and sellers are excluded from the market, in addition to the stigma of a crime conviction.
And while cannabis is becoming increasingly accepted, the war is still alive and well: more than 1 million people were arrested for drug offenses in 2020, the vast majority of whom were simply owned.
It is the organizations in the hardest-hit communities that are working the hardest and most effectively to reduce harm.
Pointless, failed drug policies are deeply ingrained in American culture and politics, and healing is a complex process. But it is the organizations in these hardest-hit communities that are working the hardest and most effectively to reduce damage – and Good Green is about keeping their high-performing work with the Good Green Grant program going.
Good Green brings cannabis, ethical consumers, and nonprofits together to build new wealth and opportunities in black and brown communities. The approach is pretty simple: channel resources into local, community-led efforts for education, employment, and destruction in their critical work on the ground.
These Good Green Grant recipients are powerful forces for change. Cannabis users in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania can support their mission on their next run to the pharmacy by purchasing Good Green Flower. If you know of a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit fighting the good fight, let them know that applications for the next funding round are open until January 12, 2022.
Philadelphia Social Justice Lawyers
For communities of color and people on lower incomes, criminal records can be particularly devastating – a huge factor that exacerbates a whole range of systemic problems. They’re also incredibly common: in some of the city’s low-income, predominantly minority neighborhoods, up to 60 percent of adults have a record that can deny them jobs, education, and other opportunities.
Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity campaigns for a fairer environment by providing free legal advice and representation, including strategic litigation, and advocating for sweeping change at the local and state levels. PLSE actively deletes records by helping customers request deletions and even government pardons.
Pennsylvania has a marijuana amnesty program that aims to expedite screening of nonviolent cannabis offenses, but it’s moving at a snail’s pace, processing only about 200 out of about 57,000 per year. With the Good Green Grant, PLSE started a targeted effort to make more cases heard.
Innovation works Baltimore
Economic inequality is high in Baltimore: the city is predominantly black, but the black unemployment rate is three times that of white residents. The median income of white households is almost twice that of black households, and black and Latin American households are much more likely to have no cash to cover unexpected costs.
Innovation Works is a collaborative venture that works to close neighborhood, racial and wealth inequalities by helping disinvested communities build their own economies from within. By connecting neighborhoods with entrepreneurs, investors, tools, and resources, they hope to create 250 social enterprises, create 5,000 jobs, and invest $ 100 million in the neighborhood economy by 2029 – which in turn will increase household incomes and a sustainable future can create.
Related
The new “Seeds of Change” report assesses states on cannabis justice, finding that it is the most lacking
Why not be successful?
Why Not Prosper was founded by former incarcerated women for incarcerated women, and it supports and advocates women leaving prison and returning to their communities, from pre-release care to job retention. Programs include housing assistance, professional training, emotional healing, family reunification, graphic arts education, and drug abuse counseling to help women heal, make positive choices, and prepare for economic independence.
Grass for a good cause
Good Green Flower contains snack-sized popcorn buds in a variety of great sativa, hybrid, and indica strains. The brand is committed to continuing the critical work of its partners to heal the havoc caused by the war on drugs. Now look for Good Green on pharmacy shelves in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
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