By Racquel Romans-Henry
The damage that cannabis prohibition and the War on Drugs have done to Black communities cannot be overstated.
As the culture around cannabis has evolved, what was once demonized is now touted for its medicinal benefits and has generated nearly $20 billion in tax revenue.
Given historic aggressive policing of Black communities for cannabis, we must ensure that New Jersey’s regulated market prioritizes equity, provides wealth-generating opportunities for Black communities, and reinvests revenue into communities that were most harmed by prohibition.
Black communities are far too familiar with being excluded from the table. This time around we are securing our own priority seating. The statistics are clear. Between 2010-2019, New Jersey spent 11.6 billion dollars enforcing the drug war. New Jersey arrests more people for marijuana than almost any other state. Black people are three to four times more likely to be arrested than whites for marijuana possession despite similar rates of use. The numbers don’t lie, but they only tell half of the story.
Staggering legal costs, thousands of dollars in fines and fees, costs incurred on commissaries and prison calls, as well as weekly commutes to visit incarcerated loved ones tell the other half. We may never be able to quantify costs associated with barriers to voting, public assistance, child custody, financial aid, housing, and employment which amounts to generations of economic opportunity and growth thwarted.
The current outrage surrounding cannabis medical licenses is understandable. The devastation of the war on drugs had effects that extended beyond incarceration. The destruction of Black families had a direct impact on generational wealth. As a legal cannabis market is established, we must prioritize wealth-building opportunities for Black businesses.
When it was signed into law last year, cannabis legalization provided some hope that New Jersey will finally begin to address decades of harm to Black communities. While the victory of legalization may be seen as an acknowledgment of the racist and egregious roots of the drug war, it is a win that wouldn’t have been possible without years of fierce advocacy by committed New Jerseyans. Ensuring that our cannabis industry is rooted in reparative justice will require that same fight.
Reparative justice isn’t simply a moratorium on arrests. It ensures that a significant portion of cannabis tax revenue is reinvested into communities directly impacted by the drug war. It establishes an industry that supports those disproportionately affected by past policies by providing startup capital, ensuring their participation in all areas of the reinvestment process, and prioritizing their business applications.
Reparative justice is not merely a pipe dream or a bucket list on the part of advocates, it was a non-negotiable during the legislative fight that shut the legislature down four times until the bill finally incorporated equity in the licensing of cannabis and reinvestment of revenue into harmed communities.
Reparative justice has been baked into New Jersey’s cannabis legislation and is far from optional. It is up to us, however, to ensure that the state is upholding its part of the bargain.
Your voice matters in this fight. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), the agency created by law to regulate the cannabis industry, is hosting ongoing hearings for public feedback. This month, its hearings are focused on how the social equity excise tax should be spent. Black voices must be heard in this process, as it is the first step in repairing decades of harm.
While we’ve made some progress, New Jersey still has a long way to go. Black communities continue to deal with trauma from the war on drugs and are left to pick up the pieces of the lives shattered in its wake. Community members and advocates are correct to apply pressure on the CRC.
This nation’s history is fraught with instances where Black trauma served as capital to white wealth and expansion. We refuse to allow the cannabis industry to be yet another disgraceful example of business as usual in our state.
New Jersey can and it must do better. Any progress made has not happened despite the people, but because of the people. Therefore, we the people will continue to harness our collective power to ensure that our communities reap the fruits of all that we’ve labored.
Racquel Romans-Henry is the director of policy at the New Jersey faith-based organization, Salvation and Social Justice.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Here’s how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.
