Okay, so the racism aspect is actually a big part of the propaganda machine. But it’s such an important element, that it needed its own discussion.

Over the decades, many *powerful men (*rich & white) have tried to paint the picture that it’s mostly Black people (especially young, Black men) that enjoy the puffery of pot.

But it’s actually ALSO young, white dudes pretending to be Black that enjoy pot.

Oh yeah, also, basically ANYBODY ELSE! In fact, White Americans are more likely to use illegal drugs (including but not limited to marijuana) but Black Americans are more likely to get arrested – more than 3 times as likely… (http://m.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/racial-disparity-drug-use_n_3941346).

Regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, or creed, many people have and will choose to smoke marijuana.

Also, people listening to Creed should smoke marijuana so that they can finally find some better music to listen to.

But this isn’t just an America problem. It’s a North America problem. Nearly all of the 45 federally licensed marijuana producers in Canada are run by white dudes (https://news.vice.com/story/canadas-legal-weed-industry-has-a-diversity-problem).

And apparently, out of the 3600 or so legal marijuana dispensaries in the U.S., only 1% are owned by Black people.

Arrest rates for selling marijuana in Northern Canada communities (where the Indigenous population is much higher) are 8 times higher than in the Southern (more white) areas (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14165/tbl/tbl06-eng.htm).

And when it is marijuana-specific, Black people are at least 4 times more likely to be arrested than White people in the U.S. (https://www.aclu.org/report/report-war-marijuana-black-and-white?redirect=report/war-marijuana-black-and-white).

This article (https://www.google.ca/amp/nationalpost.com/life/salt-in-a-racist-wound-why-its-never-just-smoking-weed-for-fun-for-black-people-but-smoking-weed-and-breaking-the-law/amp) discusses the above facts in much more detail. It also brings up valid points regarding marijuana usage in popular culture and how it seems to be more accepted and funny when it’s done by white musicians (Willie Nelson) or in predominantly white movies (insert any number of stoner comedies and/or Seth Rogen film here). But it’s considered alarming or criminal or “thug-like” when it’s prevalent in rap music or gang-related film topics.

Apparently when smoking pot, White people are funny and Black people are dangerous.

But this is nothing new, unfortunately.

Back in the 30s, the marijuana propaganda machine was “built” (mostly due to Harry Anslinger, who was director of the Department of Prohibition, not wanting to lose his job. When alcohol prohibition ended, he needed a new “evil target”. And, along with “Rich Asshole” William Hearst not wanting to compete with “hemp paper”, the war on pot began).

False stories (over 200 of them) attributing Mexicans going insane and Black men raping white woman to their marijuana use. Of course, save for maybe 2 of the crimes, none had any actual link to marijuana.

Using radio, newspapers, television, and films, marijuana was portrayed as the cause of violence in “Scary People of Colour”.

They simultaneously made people fear marijuana and anyone that wasn’t White. Both were “easy targets” and based entirely on fear and a desperate need for power and control.

And then Nixon (which I think is Latin for RACIST!!!!) Increased the war on (and subsequent fear of) marijuana by placing it on the Schedule 1 list of controlled substances in 1970. Schedule 1 means it’s considered one of the WORST drugs ever to exist. Within a year, 100,000 people had been jailed for marijuana use. And in Nixon’s racist and prejudiced eyes, the only people that used pot were damn, dirty hippies and Black people. Two groups of people he had no use for and no support from.

This article (https://www.milehighglasspipes.com/blogs/the-mile-high-blog/marijuana-laws-racism) discusses all of this in greater detail as well as showing examples of the current U.S. administration’s similar racist views regarding People of Colour and their marijuana consumption.

This is a deep, unhealed wound in North America that, so far, any aspects of legalization hasn’t begun to fix. For the most part, it’s just allowed White people to get rich while sacrificing People of Colour in order to do so.

The racism angle started off as propaganda 70-80 years ago. Unfortunately, it’s still being enforced as fact. And until racist people get rid of their racist views, a lot of them will WRONGLY think that marijuana is still mostly used by “Dangerous Black men” and “Crazy Mexicans”.

Fucking white people.