The Pennsylvania Democratic Policy Committee met on March 1 to examine the impacts of cannabis criminalization in that state, including the downstream effect on families and what legislators should consider when legalizing adult-use cannabis.
“We convened this meeting today to discuss the social ramifications of the criminalization of marijuana,” State Rep. Amen Brown (D-Philadelphia County) said. “If we are going to talk about legalization of adult-use cannabis, we must carefully examine the history of criminalization on our communities of color. My hope with this hearing is that we can learn how to save time, money, and resources by legalizing adult-use cannabis.”
The committee found that arrests for marijuana possession account for 42 percent of all drug arrests in Pennsylvania. Nearly two-thirds of those arrests are people of color. Isaac “Ikey Raw” Gardner, who was arrested for possession in 2000, said he still suffers from the mark on his record, even though he is now a legal medical marijuana user.
“It is the duty of legislators to ensure that lack of diversity and shutting out communities will not be tolerated,” State Rep. Darisha Parker (D-Philadelphia County) said. “We must do what we can in the legislature to make laws that will even the playing field, keep Pennsylvanians safe and healthy, and usher in a new era.”
The committee heard from current medical cannabis growers and producers in the state about their past failings and the latest initiatives to improve social justice in the industry. Lester Hollis, Hollis Ventures LLC, shared concerns about how the rollout of legalized medical marijuana left out people and communities of color. To illustrate his point, he noted that no medical marijuana growers/processors have any appreciable equity held by African Americans or Latinos.
“We have an opportunity here in Pennsylvania to make adjustments to medical and adult-use cannabis laws so that when the drug is legalized, we can ensure that companies that are minority owned are set up with the skills that guarantee them for success,” State Rep. Gina H. Curry (D-Delaware County) said. “As we move forward, we must always consider social equity in this space of adult-use cannabis because we cannot go back and continue to see the effects of criminalization.”
Other speakers included Andrea Lindsay, lead investigator and mitigation specialist, Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity; Jervonne Singletary, director of government and regulatory affairs, GoodBlend PA; Benjamin Pascal, chief business officer, Invisible Sentinel; and Andrea Foster, president, Westpark Apartments Resident Council.