As Legal Pot Rolls Out, Boston Cannabis Week Focuses on Social Justice

This past Sunday, the Underground at Ink Block, an 8-acre underpass in Boston, transformed into the perfect festival backdrop for the final day of Cannabis Week. Headliner Lupe Fiasco impressed onlookers with a set that combined high-energy antics with masterful lyrical execution, while BIA brought raw stamina to a crowd who devoured it. Other performers, such as Slaine, The Devil’s Twins, Marcela Cruz, and Latrell James simply basked in the free-flowing atmosphere. But aside from the exhilarating musical acts, its very first year, the event was able to focus on what many cannabis-legal states are still striving to do: bridge the gap between the newly formed cannabis industry and the people and communities that were most devastated by the 40-year War on Drugs.

In 2016, cannabis became legal to use recreationally in Massachusetts. A year later, the Cannabis Control Commission was formed to implement and administer laws enabling access to medical and adult use of marijuana throughout the state. The legal guidelines they came up with are straightforward: you must be 21 or older to use it, you can have up to one ounce on you and up to 10 ounces in your home, and you are allowed to grow up to 6 plants (maximum 12 if you live with at least one other person).

It wasn’t until last year that the commission started to accept applications for those eager to obtain business licenses to sell cannabis. However, it quickly acknowledged that the racial disparities in the system of incarceration would severely impact their pool of candidates. In 2016, the ACLU determined that although blacks and Latinos made up 22% of the Massachusetts population, they comprise 75% of those serving sentences for mandatory minimum drug offenses.

The Cannabis Control Commission created equity programs that aim to engage people from communities of disproportionate impact — which has been identified as 29 cities and towns throughout the state — and make sure that marginalized groups are included in the weed industry. Through their Social Equity and Economic Empowerment Programs, these communities in particular — as well as individuals living in poverty or those who have been convicted of marijuana related charges — receive technical assistance, help creating business plans, and fundraising.

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https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/boston-cannabis-week-social-justice-890271/