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Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice
The roots of a racial reckoning through the lens of cannabis.
From the start, the War on Drugs targeted Black, Brown, and Indigenous Americans already disadvantaged by a system stacked against them. Even now, as white Americans who largely escaped the fire capitalize on the legalization movement and a booming cannabis industry, their less fortunate peers continue to suffer the consequences of the systemic racism in policing and failed drug policy that fueled the original crisis. In Waiting to Inhale, Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Tahira Rehmatullah issue a powerful call for a racial reckoning and provide a roadmap to redress this deep and abiding injustice.
Waiting to Inhale illuminates the stories of those on the front lines of the War on Drugs--the individuals and communities disproportionately harmed, sometimes seemingly beyond repair; the official and social forces ranged against them; and the victims, legal and political activists, and cannabis entrepreneurs who are fighting back. As attitudes toward cannabis are shifting, now is the opportune time, Owusu-Bempah and Rehmatullah submit, to expunge cannabis convictions and make a place in the burgeoning legal cannabis market for Black and other underrepresented groups who have borne the brunt of harsh cannabis laws.
A powerful indictment of one of the worst social and political failures in the nation's history, Waiting to Inhale offers an equally powerful vision of the possibility of redemption. Communities can be rebuilt, and racist policies must be overturned in order to give way to a new era of justice.
From the start, the War on Drugs targeted Black, Brown, and Indigenous Americans already disadvantaged by a system stacked against them. Even now, as white Americans who largely escaped the fire capitalize on the legalization movement and a booming cannabis industry, their less fortunate peers continue to suffer the consequences of the systemic racism in policing and failed drug policy that fueled the original crisis. In Waiting to Inhale, Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Tahira Rehmatullah issue a powerful call for a racial reckoning and provide a roadmap to redress this deep and abiding injustice.
Waiting to Inhale illuminates the stories of those on the front lines of the War on Drugs--the individuals and communities disproportionately harmed, sometimes seemingly beyond repair; the official and social forces ranged against them; and the victims, legal and political activists, and cannabis entrepreneurs who are fighting back. As attitudes toward cannabis are shifting, now is the opportune time, Owusu-Bempah and Rehmatullah submit, to expunge cannabis convictions and make a place in the burgeoning legal cannabis market for Black and other underrepresented groups who have borne the brunt of harsh cannabis laws.
A powerful indictment of one of the worst social and political failures in the nation's history, Waiting to Inhale offers an equally powerful vision of the possibility of redemption. Communities can be rebuilt, and racist policies must be overturned in order to give way to a new era of justice.
256 pages, Paperback
Published April 11, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 1, 2023
As an addiction specialist, I try my best to keep myself up to date with the newest publications dedicated to everything related to this field. That´s why I have chosen this title.
Both America and Canada have a problem with racism, among many other problems. We all know that. I´m sure we all agree that something should be done about it, yet it seems as if nobody has any sensible idea as to what to do exactly. The authors of this book have some ideas, and it wouldn´t that be so bad, if not for the fact, that this entire book IS RACIST AGAINST WHITE PEOPLE! Here´s how:
I totally am for legislating marijuana. There is plenty of evidence out there as to why this is a good idea, so there´s no point in discussing it any further. The authors agree and therefore this book is NOT ABOUT THE BENEFIT OF LEGISLATION. What is it about then? Well, at the very beginning of the book one of the authors (a Pakistani Muslim woman, living in the US) says openly and nonchalantly, that she wants to be a part of this new marijuana industry before white men will dominate it. And later on, in fact, throughout the entire book, we have plenty of sentences that aren´t very sympathetic towards white people.
This whole book tells the story of the history of the fight to make marijuana legal. It´s a long battle and still ongoing. Thing is, mixing the whole legal process with racism is not a good idea! What I mean is this: the war on drugs hit poor people the most, it shattered the lives of many needlessly, and mostly it affected ethnic minorities and people of color. The problem with one single arrest in both Canada and the US is that it´s a snowball. It will keep rolling down, becoming bigger and bigger and it will destroy everything on its path. Again, we all know that.
BUT what the authors are lobbying for is to make the marijuana business divided between people by default! They demand at least 51% of the business to be in hands of black people, another percentage in indigenous people, etc, etc. (by law). This is not a fight for social equality. You can´t make people equal while you deliberately limit someone else's access to something, or even exclude them. How can you talk about repairing social injustice while doing the exact opposite?
What they are proposing is racist itself!
Also, they want to redistribute the revenue from legal sales into the communities most harmed. Sounds great, but first of all this opens a huge spectrum of possibilities for corruption, secondly, it´s supposed to be a business, not a charity. There´s a difference! Talk to Jeff Bezos...
Inclusion in the business is the author's other point. Again, sounds great, BUT, again, how can you talk about inclusion and demand at the same time a legally sanctioned limit of white people in the business? This IS racist!
This is what is exactly wrong with America, in my opinion. When someone wants to do something and has skills and knowledge then this person has more chance of becoming successful. Race, skin color, and sexuality HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT! The ongoing race to the White House and other public offices shows exactly that! Why do you vote for a mayor someone just because this person is LGBT? or is of Salvadoran origin? or has violet skin with yellow straps? or refuses to wear white socks? or... or... ? WHAT SHOULD MATTER IS WHETHER OR NOT THIS PERSON IS FIT FOR THE JOB! Same with the marijuana business - let people run their businesses IF they want to! And the market will decide who stays and who goes, just like it always does.
Both America and Canada have a problem with racism, among many other problems. We all know that. I´m sure we all agree that something should be done about it, yet it seems as if nobody has any sensible idea as to what to do exactly. The authors of this book have some ideas, and it wouldn´t that be so bad, if not for the fact, that this entire book IS RACIST AGAINST WHITE PEOPLE! Here´s how:
I totally am for legislating marijuana. There is plenty of evidence out there as to why this is a good idea, so there´s no point in discussing it any further. The authors agree and therefore this book is NOT ABOUT THE BENEFIT OF LEGISLATION. What is it about then? Well, at the very beginning of the book one of the authors (a Pakistani Muslim woman, living in the US) says openly and nonchalantly, that she wants to be a part of this new marijuana industry before white men will dominate it. And later on, in fact, throughout the entire book, we have plenty of sentences that aren´t very sympathetic towards white people.
This whole book tells the story of the history of the fight to make marijuana legal. It´s a long battle and still ongoing. Thing is, mixing the whole legal process with racism is not a good idea! What I mean is this: the war on drugs hit poor people the most, it shattered the lives of many needlessly, and mostly it affected ethnic minorities and people of color. The problem with one single arrest in both Canada and the US is that it´s a snowball. It will keep rolling down, becoming bigger and bigger and it will destroy everything on its path. Again, we all know that.
BUT what the authors are lobbying for is to make the marijuana business divided between people by default! They demand at least 51% of the business to be in hands of black people, another percentage in indigenous people, etc, etc. (by law). This is not a fight for social equality. You can´t make people equal while you deliberately limit someone else's access to something, or even exclude them. How can you talk about repairing social injustice while doing the exact opposite?
What they are proposing is racist itself!
Also, they want to redistribute the revenue from legal sales into the communities most harmed. Sounds great, but first of all this opens a huge spectrum of possibilities for corruption, secondly, it´s supposed to be a business, not a charity. There´s a difference! Talk to Jeff Bezos...
Inclusion in the business is the author's other point. Again, sounds great, BUT, again, how can you talk about inclusion and demand at the same time a legally sanctioned limit of white people in the business? This IS racist!
This is what is exactly wrong with America, in my opinion. When someone wants to do something and has skills and knowledge then this person has more chance of becoming successful. Race, skin color, and sexuality HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT! The ongoing race to the White House and other public offices shows exactly that! Why do you vote for a mayor someone just because this person is LGBT? or is of Salvadoran origin? or has violet skin with yellow straps? or refuses to wear white socks? or... or... ? WHAT SHOULD MATTER IS WHETHER OR NOT THIS PERSON IS FIT FOR THE JOB! Same with the marijuana business - let people run their businesses IF they want to! And the market will decide who stays and who goes, just like it always does.
May 8, 2023
This was such an interesting read. The book weaves together the historical, justice and business aspects of cannabis legalization very well. The authors paint a great picture of what the future of our drug laws could look like.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews