Content area
Full Text
In designing drug reform laws, we must ensure that efforts to help communities adversely affected by criminalization do not inadvertently inflict further harm on vulnerable populations, includingyouths and communities of color. Drug reform certainly presents a crucial opportunity to end the disproportionate damage that the War on Drugs inflicted on people of color and economically disadvantaged communities (e.g., higher arrest and incarceration rates; barriers to employment, housing, education, and public benefits; punitive child welfare system involvement).1 However, we have repeatedly seen how industries selling addictive substances that are legal for adult use (e.g., alcohol, cigarettes, vaping products) target both youths and disadvantaged communities through their product design, marketing, and locations of sale, largely ignoringthe outsized negative health and social costs of commercialized addictive substances to these groups.2,3
A recent study found that the largest marijuana companies engage in "corporate social responsibility" activities that mimic those the tobacco industry uses to influence politics and regulation, encourage increased consumption, and target marginalized communities.4 The companies claim that their activities will mitigate the harms of prohibition and promote diversity. The study also reports that marijuana companies assist social equity license applicants in exchange for control of their proposed businesses. These companies are using strategies much like those tobacco companies have used for decades to normalize the use of the substance, recruit new and loyal customers, encourage consumption, expand markets, and deter regulation. Although their stated purpose might appear beneficial, the consequences of their involvement can disproportionately harm the communities they claim to be helping.
The United States is at risk for repeating past mistakes by allowing the marijuana industry, which now includes many of the same players as the alcohol and tobacco industries, to target youths, low-income groups, and communities of color, this time under the guise of social and economic justice.4,5 Contributing to this phenomenon, several well-intentioned government laws and proposals are creating initiatives and committing resources that support the industry's financial interests, potentially to the detriment of the groups they are purporting to serve.
For example, New York State recently announced $5 million for its public community colleges to support courses and credentialing programs aimed at promoting employment in the emerging cannabis industry.6 Illinois similarly created its Community College Cannabis Vocational Pilot Program.7 Although an increasing...