Cannabis Legalization Has Made Limited Progress on Correcting the Racial Injustices of Prohibition | Research

The takeaway

A review of cannabis legalization's social justice impact found some progress in expunging convictions and reducing arrests, but very limited progress in diversifying the cannabis industry or funding equity programs for communities most harmed by prohibition.

Cannabis policy makers, social justice advocates, community organizers.

Industry diversity and equity program funding were rated as having "very limited" progress, despite legalization generating billions in revenue.

What the researchers found

Progress in five social justice areas: expungement of prior convictions (some progress, especially misdemeanors), cannabis-related arrests in legal environments (decreased), industry diversity (very limited), equity program funding (very limited), and risk of legalization harming previously targeted populations (no evidence of increased harm).

Why it matters

Cannabis prohibition disproportionately targeted minority communities for decades. As legalization generates billions in revenue, this review asks whether the benefits are reaching the communities most harmed by the war on drugs - and finds the answer is largely no.

The numbers in context

Five social justice domains assessed. Some progress in two (expungement, reduced arrests). Very limited progress in two (industry diversity, equity funding). No evidence of new harms in one.

How the study worked

Iterative and focused review examining social justice outcomes of cannabis legalization across five domains.

What this study cannot tell us

Focused review rather than systematic analysis. Rapidly changing policy landscape. Difficult to measure social justice outcomes quantitatively. Limited data collection on equity outcomes.

How to read the evidence

Moderate - thorough policy review covering five domains, but limited by available data on equity outcomes.

When this study was published

Published in 2019. Social equity programs have expanded since.

The bigger picture

The legal cannabis industry is generating enormous wealth, but the communities most damaged by prohibition are largely excluded from these benefits. Without intentional policy interventions, legalization risks creating new inequities while failing to address old ones.

Questions still open

How should cannabis tax revenue be directed for maximum equity impact? What barriers prevent minority entrepreneurs from entering the legal cannabis market? Would federal legalization improve or worsen social justice outcomes?

Common questions

Has cannabis legalization been fair to minority communities?

This review found limited progress. While some prior convictions have been expunged and arrests decreased, the legal cannabis industry remains dominated by well-resourced operators, and funding for equity programs in communities most harmed by prohibition has been very limited.

Does cannabis legalization increase harm to minority communities?

No evidence of increased harm was found. The concern is not that legalization creates new harm but that it fails to address the legacy harms of prohibition or share the economic benefits equitably.

Read the original research

Implementing social justice in the transition from illicit to legal cannabis.

The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 45(6), 673-688

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Adinoff, Bryon; Reiman, Amanda. (2019). Implementing social justice in the transition from illicit to legal cannabis.. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 45(6), 673-688. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2019.1674862