Sorry you're getting this week's newsletter later than usual, but I wanted to make sure to include some exciting news so you'll definitely want to keep reading. In the meantime, did you know America's war on weed started in San Francisco of all places? Yes, in that liberal bastion on the Bay, where crime is said to have been decriminalized and homelessness is actually celebrated, it was reported as early as the mid-1930s that Frisco natives were being menaced by a “large influx of Hindoos… demanding cannabis indica” and initiating “the whites into their habit.” Reporting on the government’s response to the drug epidemic, the New York Times wrote in 1973: “But the truly feared potsmokers were ill‐paid Mexican laborers, who, like their cocaine‐snorting black brothers down South, were said to do all sorts of frightful things when stoned. "The pinch of the Depression and the Mexicans’ irritating competitiveness for scarce jobs made their smoking marijuana even more offensive.” The shadow of the drug war, and its long-term effects on poor and communities of color, continues to haunt us. Keep reading for more about one recent attempt to right the wrongs of the past. We’ve also got an exciting announcement about a new Reckon project. Let's talk about it. |
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A lot has happened in the Drug War in the past 50 years: Nixon started it. Ronald Reagan famously made it a centerpiece of his presidency; Bill Clinton rode into the Oval Office as a centrist Democrat vowing to crack down during the crack epidemic, ushering in federal crime legislation that threw the book at people convicted of drug offenses, even relatively minor ones. Only recently has the fog started to clear and policymakers sobered up to the fact that, as a nation, we’d have to be high to think that continuing to fill jails and prisons with people convicted of low-level drug crimes is good policy. In roughly the last decade, cities and states have acted to decriminalize or legalize cannabis. Many are moving to expunge marijuana-related convictions from people’s records. NORML, a cannabis-reform advocacy organization, has nice breakdown of them here. Most recently, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore pardoned some 175,000 such convictions — two days before the federal Juneteenth holiday. “No Marylander should face barriers to housing, employment, or education based on convictions for conduct that is no longer illegal… Today, we take a big step forward toward ensuring equal justice for all. But this won’t be our last effort. We must continue to move in partnership to build a state and society that is more equitable, more just, and leaves no one behind,” Moore said in signing an executive order pardoning 175,000 citizens. That’s as many people as live in Shreveport, Rancho Cucamonga, or Springfield (Missouri) and includes 150,000 misdemeanor possession convictions. Moore called the move a mandate to “right historic wrongs.” It’s also good politics, especially for Moore, whose name is very much in the mix among future White House aspirants. According to data from Pew, 72% of Democrats support marijuana legalization compared to 42% of Republicans. People who identify as conservative across party lines tend to oppose cannabis legalization. |
—The number of federal offenders sentenced for simple possession of marijuana dropped precipitously, from 2,172 in fiscal year 2014 to only 145 in fiscal year 2021 (US Sentencing Commission) —Arizona is single-handedly driving overall federal marijuana convictions, accounting for 78.9% of all federal marijuana possession sentencings since 2014 (US Sentencing Commission) —In the past five years, of people sentenced by the federal government, 85.5% were men, 71% were Hispanic, and nearly 60% were non-citizens (US Sentencing Commission) —In 2019, there were 545,601 arrests in the U.S. for marijuana-related offenses, with the majority being for possession (FBI) —African Americans are 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people, despite similar usage rates (ACLU) —Marijuana-related offenses constitute about 40% of all drug arrests in the U.S., with the vast majority being for possession (FBI) —In Colorado, marijuana arrests dropped by 52% from 2012 to 2017 following legalization (Colorado Division of Criminal Justice) —California has expunged or reduced more than 220,000 marijuana-related convictions since Proposition 64 was passed in 2016 (CDOJ) —The ACLU estimates that the U.S. spends over $3.6 billion annually on enforcing marijuana laws —Nearly 40% of marijuana arrests in the U.S. involve individuals under the age of 21 —Approximately 12% of incarcerated individuals in the U.S. are serving time for marijuana-related offenses (Prison Policy Initiative) Take action: If you want to weigh in federal sentencing reform — and I know you do — you can actually sound off. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves, who chairs the commission, recently invited citizens to "to tell the Commission how we can create a fairer, more just sentencing system." Go here to share your thoughts. |
A new Reckon podcast is coming |
At last! I can finally say it: Reckon and Ursa Story Company are proud to announce Reckon True Stories, a new podcast hosted by acclaimed authors Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) and Kiese Laymon (Heavy, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, Long Division), all about the stories we tell and how they impact our culture. Guests will include Minda Honey, editor of Black Joy by Reckon and author of The Heartbreak Years, Roxane Gay, Samantha Irby, and Alexander Chee, among others. Reckon True Stories is a celebration of new and classic nonfiction – the essays, journalism, and memoirs that inspire us, that change the world, and help us connect with each other. The show launches July 9. Stay tuned for more details! |
One more thing: In honor of Pride Month, Reckon is rolling out a Pride Guide every week in June. Given the rise in anti-LGBTQ legislation and rhetoric across the country, we recognize the urgent need to address the challenges faced by our community. Our weekly guides aim to provide practical resources, coping mechanisms, and expert advice to help individuals navigate these difficult times and prioritize their wellbeing, pleasure and success because we take care of us. Reckon Report readers will no doubt be interested in this week’s Pride Guide maintaining mental wellness in anti-LGBTQ times. And while you’re at it, check out our previous guides on how to find your safe space and how to party safer with sex, substances and self-care. |
As always, never hesitate to inbox me with thoughts, to chat or to rant. Peace, R.L. |
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