Social Justice

Alejandro Rodriguez is an Adjunct Professor at The Cannabis Law Clinic at the Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, which teaches students about cannabis history, law, and regulatory compliance.

A recent study found that cannabis decriminalization policies have helped to reduce the racial disparity in cannabis possession arrests.

Rochester, New York’s mayor-elect Malik Evans has proposed using cannabis taxes to bolster a universal basic income program for his constituents.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said lawmakers behind his federal cannabis bill want to ensure smaller businesses have access to the cannabis industry, that states expunge records for nonviolent cannabis crimes, and that funds generated go to restorative justice initiatives.

A proposal in Michigan would eliminate the state’s “moral character” clause in its adult-use cannabis law, which can block industry participation based on “integrity, moral character, and reputation” or if the applicant has prior cannabis offenses.

A program by Ohio cannabis firm Riviera Creek and social justice advocacy group United Returning Citizens is teaching formerly incarcerated individuals how to grow cannabis for commercial purposes.

Richard Wershe Jr., aka “White Boy Rick,” who was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for cocaine possession, is launching his own cannabis brand called “The 8th.”

Marshawn Lynch’s Dodi Blunts and the Last Prisoner Project have partnered on an apprenticeship program to offer justice-impacted individuals hands-on cannabis industry experience.

The courts have granted the Westchester, New York district attorney’s request to dismiss all felony or misdemeanor charges for cannabis possession or sales.

Democratic senators unveiled the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act today, which seeks to federally legalize cannabis and contains social justice elements aimed at undoing the harms of prohibition.

The New Orleans City Council Criminal Justice Committee has unanimously approved an ordinance that would decriminalize cannabis possession.

Medical cannabis provider Revolutionary Clinics is establishing a $4 million grant to be distributed between the state’s Economic Empowerment Cannabis licensees and other minority-owned businesses in Cambridge.

The interdisciplinary minor focuses on social justice issues related to cannabis use, the cannabis industry, and the medical efficacy of cannabis.

The bill would decriminalize all drugs at the federal level and shift authority for the substances from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Colleges in the South are launching cannabis/hemp research programs and partnering with southern cannabis cultivators to grow legal, medicinal cannabis.

Multiple civil rights groups in Virginia skipped the governor’s cannabis legalization bill signing ceremony after the advocacy group Marijuana Justice was snubbed an invitation.

The Human Toll is a new docuseries that explores how cannabis prohibition — and the drug war, in general — was racially motivated and continues to unfairly target Black and Brown communities for enforcement.

The National Hispanic Cannabis Council launched on Thursday to raise awareness around cannabis-related health, economic, and legal issues and to promote participation and leadership in the cannabis industry.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has replaced a member of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission after the NAACP criticized the commission for not meeting its own social equity requirements.

Evanston, Illinois is ready to start sending $25,000 reparation payments to help Black residents afford housing in the north Chicago neighborhood. The payments will be funded by a 3% tax on adult-use cannabis.