American Consequences - March 2019

PENNSYLVANIA'S MEDICAL CANNABIS workforce development training and find jobs in the industry or start their own business. a Schedule 1 drug by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

“If you weren’t going to maintain institutional racism in the bill, and considering [cannabis] is likely to be decriminalized, you would not have had that as a stipulation,” said Jamil Bey, president and CEO of UrbanKind Institute, an organization in Pittsburgh committed to equity and social justice. A disproportionate number of people of color are affected by U.S. drug laws, and African Americans in particular are over-represented in the nation’s criminal justice system, said University of Pittsburgh Law professor David Harris. “You simply cannot make a real persuasive argument that it’s because drug use was higher in those communities. It’s simply not true,” Harris said. “People use drugs the same rate across populations, and in fact, some studies have pointed to lower uses of cannabis and other drugs in African American communities than in white communities. Yet, enforcement was more intense in black communities.” Making it illegal for people with possession and sales charges to participate in the industry will, therefore, disproportionately leave communities of color out of Pennsylvania’s industry, he added. Other states have worked to find ways to be more inclusive. Massachusetts, which has legalized recreational and medicinal use, recently created an equity program with the goal of making “sure those hit hard by the war on drugs are able to access and benefit from the legal marijuana industry,” according to WBUR in Boston. The state’s program allows people with past drug convictions to participate in

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THESE TWO GROUPS? On September 26, 2018, State Representative Jake Wheatley Jr., D-Allegheny, introduced House Bill 2600 into the Pennsylvania legislature. The bill proposed the legalization of recreational cannabis, as well as erasing prior cannabis convictions from people's records. Although it died in committee last session, the bill was seen as a step toward opening up the industry in the state. Kahl said involving small farms in the industry and being able to use cannabis as a reliable source of income would mean that either she or her husband could stop working their full-time jobs and “dedicate more time to building [the] business.” “The joy we get from being able to provide nutritious and whole food to people... we’d probably take the same care and enjoyment in growing [a product] to help alleviate peoples’ pain and suffering,” Kahl said. But so far, no bill has been introduced in Pennsylvania to address the current amount or structure of the fees to cultivate, process, or sell cannabis, leaving Kahl with little hope for a change in the near future. This story was supported by The Pittsburgh Pitch, a project of 100 Days in Appalachia and the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. Reprinted with permission www.100daysinappalachia.com.

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