MPSC 663 - Social and Economic Justice in Cannabis

Graduate Division
This course will cover how cannabis sativa, which was originally cultivated for medical purposes over 10,000 years ago, became an illicit Class I narcotic in the United States, that brought vast racial injustice and mass incarceration for non-violent drug possession. Through tremendous grassroots efforts, change in public perception, and big business, illicit marijuana has become a multi-billion-dollar cannabis industry; however, with decriminalization and legalization comes the hardest part – dealing with the social and economic legacy of criminalized marijuana, and avoiding the hypocrisy of the current state-regulated recreational cannabis industry. We will explore recent legislation across the United States, and highlight New York as a progressive model, to evaluate how social and economic equity programs were designed to tackle the legacy of racial injustice and economic inequality that adversely impact generations of Black and Latino women and men still today.
credit(s): 3