'The US Has Spent $1 Trillion Fighting The War On Drugs… A Failure,' Say The Authors Of New Cannabis Book

As the United States faces a long-overdue reckoning on racial justice, leading cannabis voices Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Tahira Rehmatullah are releasing "Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice," a compelling examination of the Intersection of racial justice and cannabis policy. The authors confront the undeniable racial disparities in cannabis policy and enforcement, offering a powerful critique of the War on Drugs and the social, economic and racial implications of the budding cannabis industry.

The book delves into the stories of those who have experienced the harshest consequences of the War on Drugs, highlighting the work of activists, entrepreneurs and policymakers striving for change. As the tide continues to turn in favor of legalization, the authors emphasize the urgent need for expunging cannabis convictions and opening doors for Black and other underrepresented communities in the rapidly growing legal cannabis market.

One Of Our Worst Failures

In this new book, Owusu-Bempah and Rehmatullah argue that the War on Drugs is one of the worst social and political failures in America’s history. "By some estimates, the U.S. has spent a trillion dollars fighting the War on Drugs, yet drug use is climbing again, and drug trafficking continues to be lucrative. If the aim of the war on drugs was to reduce or eliminate drug use and curtail the illegal market, we can’t see it as anything but a failure as both are flourishing," explains Owusu-Bempah.

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Rehmatullah adds, "drug law enforcement has unnecessarily burdened millions of people with criminal records, torn families apart, and torn at the fabric of communities. Money spent on drug law enforcement is money not spent on education, healthcare, and community centers, to name a few."

So, what’s a good path forward?

"[Legalization] would reduce the unnecessary criminalization that has overwhelmingly affected Black and Brown people, limiting their opportunities and life chances. We can’t underestimate the costs of criminalization," Rehmatullah says. "Legal cannabis is a multi-billion-dollar industry that will provide thousands of jobs and business opportunities and generate money that can be used to uplift populations, not persecute them."

The authors propose a three-pronged approach to address the social inequality that has emerged due to the War on Drugs: "(1) Expungement: Erasing past criminal records as cannabis legalization continues to spread. (2) Inclusion: Providing opportunities in the legal industry for those most harmed by drug prohibition. (3) Reinvestment: Investing a portion of the profits generated from legal cannabis into the communities that bore the brunt of the War on Drugs."

Beyond Party Lines

In an exclusive interview where the authors get into a variety of interesting topics, they also touch on political parties and legalization.

Rehmatullah points out that, “both Democratic and Republican administrations have waged the War on Drugs. However, in recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in support for cannabis legalization from both parties, particularly from Democrats, while some Republicans have also started to change their position.”

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Ultimately, the authors are optimistic about the future of cannabis legalization. "We're at a tipping point, with two-thirds of Americans supporting legalization. It's not a matter of if, but when, and we need to make sure it happens in a way that is socially equitable and fair to all communities," says Owusu-Bempah.

Rehmatullah shares the same view and expresses that while there is still much work to be done, the future looks promising as more states continue to legalize cannabis, and the federal government is making strides towards comprehensive reform.

A Must-Read

In "Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice," Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Tahira Rehmatullah make a strong case for ending the War on Drugs and pursuing a path towards social equity via cannabis legalization.

Through unflinching honesty and searing insight, "Waiting to Inhale" serves as both a powerful indictment of past injustices and a hopeful vision for a more equitable future. This essential read for anyone interested in understanding the roots of this national crisis and the potential for transformative change brings to light critical aspects of the conversation surrounding racial justice and cannabis policy.

"It was incredibly important to us to include these stories to not only demonstrate the human toll and suffering caused by prohibition but highlight real people who have been impacted in ways that some can’t even imagine." Rehmatullah adds, "Cannabis legalization is not simply a political or economic issue—people’s lives are at stake."

The authors found themselves deeply engaged with the stories they uncovered throughout their research, believing it was essential to share these experiences with readers. By doing so, they hoped to foster a connection between the reader and the individuals in the book, "either because they can relate to them or because they’re fascinated by the seeming novelty of their experiences."

Two such individuals whose stories are featured prominently in the book are Evelyn LaChapelle and Corvain Cooper. LaChapelle, a California native, was charged and convicted of conspiracy to traffic cannabis after allowing her co-defendant Cooper to deposit and withdraw cannabis money from her bank account. Despite having no priors and no indication of being a repeat offender, LaChapelle received an 87-month prison sentence, tearing her away from her family and young daughter.

Cooper, on the other hand, had previous run-ins with the justice system and was arrested in 2013 for his involvement in a 2009 cannabis shipment intercepted by authorities. With two strikes on his record, Cooper faced life behind bars under federal "three strikes" laws and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2014. Fortunately, advocacy efforts paid off, and Cooper was granted clemency by President Trump on his last day in office in January 2021.

“Cannabis legalization is certainly connected to some of the most important social justice issues of our time. As we lay out in the book, the history of cannabis laws and cannabis law enforcement is deeply racist,” Rehmatullah concludes.

“Beyond race and racism, we also think that there are other important social and economic issues at play here. Our drug laws and the way they were enforced have certainly contributed to social and economic inequality—they’ve served to stigmatize groups and strip earning power through criminalization. Now we see the economic inequality aspect playing out in a different way. Legal cannabis provides an opportunity for great wealth generation, but not everyone is getting access to that opportunity. This is a key part of what we explain in our book. This is a key part of what we want to change.”

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This article was originally published on Forbes and appears here with permission.