Washington lawmakers are removing the word “marijuana” from state statutes

The word “marijuana” will be removed from all Washington state statutes under a recent bill passed by the state legislature. The measure, House Bill 1210, will replace the term “marijuana” with the word “cannabis” in all state statutes after it was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee last month.

Melanie Morgan, the Democratic Republican representative who is backing the legislation, told her colleagues in the House of Representatives last year that the word “marijuana” has racist connotations that go back almost a century.

“The term ‘marijuana’ itself is derogatory and racist,” Morgan said. “As recreational marijuana use grew in popularity, it became negatively associated with Mexican immigrants.”

“While it seems simple because it’s just a word, the reality is that we are healing the wrongs that have been done against Blacks and Browns related to cannabis,” she added.

Racist language in legislation

Morgan said the word’s racial connotation was initiated by Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, which later became the Drug Enforcement Administration. Anslinger was a key force in passing the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which began US prohibition of cannabis.

“It was … Anslinger who said, and I quote, ‘Marijuana is the most violent drug in human history. And most marijuana users are Negroes, Hispanics, Caribbeans, and entertainers. Her satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use,'” Morgan said during a lawmakers’ hearing.

State Representative Emily Wicks said the bill could help change the way cannabis conversations are shaped.

“Although we call it a technical fix, I think it goes a long way toward reversing, or at least with some effort, correcting some of the serious damage done around this language,” Wicks said.

Joy Hollingsworth, who owns the Hollingsworth Cannabis Company with her family, told KIRO TV News that the word “marijuana” is an unwelcome term for many people in communities of color.

“There has long been talk in our community about how this word demonizes the cannabis plant,” said Hollingsworth, who learned of the word’s negative connotations from her mother.

“She was the one who educated us on the term and how it’s derogatory and how we should stop using it,” Hollingsworth said. “We have a lot of people, especially in the black community, who have been jailed for years for cannabis, who have been locked away from their nuclear family, which is huge.”

Hollingsworth said House Bill 1210 was a step in the right direction. But she would also like to see state legislators see more social justice policies on cannabis.

“We take every win with us, right? But we don’t want to dwell on the piece of performance equity where we’re just talking about words and not actual laws and policies,” Hollingsworth said.

One option would be to invest cannabis taxes in communities that have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs.

“We’re going to feel like the industry has paid off when we see those funds go to college scholarships,” Hollingsworth said. “Maybe a family wanted to buy a house and they were from the Central District of Seattle and they wanted to go back there because they were inexpensive. They could use these funds to take out a loan. I look for creative ways to build impactful, scalable solutions in our community.”

Cannabis industry and advocates back bill

House Bill 1210 was supported by state and national cannabis reform advocacy groups and industry representatives, including the Craft Cannabis Coalition (CCC), a Tacoma-based retail group.

“Our association supports social justice in the cannabis industry and strongly recognizes the damage caused by the War on Drugs,” CCC Executive Director Adán Espino Jr. said in an email to The Center Square. “We don’t hold the term ‘marijuana’ as strongly as others, but we appreciate the transition to the term ‘cannabis’ as the industry continues to evolve and professionalize. If the term ‘marijuana’ has fallen out of practice, that’s just reality.”

Tiffany Watkins, a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, said Washington needs to do more to promote social justice in the cannabis industry.

“While it is definitely time to permanently steer clear of racist terms, replacing marijuana with cannabis is just a drop in the ocean when it comes to righting the wrongs of the war on drugs.” , she said via email. “Much more attention needs to be paid to the fact that a state with over 10 years of legal cannabis business still does not have a social justice program to recognize the barriers to entry for its BIPOC [Black, indigenous, people of color] individuals.”

In 2020, the Washington Legislature established the Washington Task Force on Social Equity in Cannabis to develop policies and recommendations to support social equity in the state’s cannabis industry. The panel is currently working on proposals to provide grants to social justice applicants to fund the creation and licensing of new cannabis businesses. House Bill 1210 goes into effect in June.

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