On Something

If you Google the question "Is marijuana racist?" there’s no shortage of articles available to try and answer the question definitively. But the racial baggage behind the word is much more complicated than a simple yes or no answer. Cannabis journalist Abdullah Saeed and cannabis historian Isaac Campos join us to unpack it all, and to figure out how this history fits into today's discussions about equity.

This story is Part 8 of 8 in a series called Fair Shake, about what drug laws and the cannabis business can teach us about social equity in the U.S.

Written by Ann Marie Awad

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

Ann first met Logan Kinamore in 2014, when she was a young journalist covering her first story about drug policy. Kinamore is a harm reduction activist based in Louisiana, who has his own history of substance abuse. That's actually how he learned about the harm reduction movement -- which advocates for more compassion and less criminalization of drug users. Now, that movement has taken hold in Oregon, where voters considered a landmark harm reduction policy in the 2020 election. In a special solutions-focused episode of On Something, we dive deep into the philosophy of harm reduction and what the Oregon measure could mean for the future.

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

Psychedelics are more than just cutting edge -- they're trendy. Whether it's tech workers micro dosing LSD in Silicon Valley, or Gwyneth Paltrow discussing ayahuasca on her Netflix show, there is a cultural fixation on psychedelics beyond the breakthroughs being made in the lab. But Charlotte James and Dre Wright are working to remind people that these are not just medicines, but sacred medicines, used for centuries by Indigenous people -- who are now in danger of being written out of the next chapter of psychedelic history.

This story is Part 6 of 8 in a series called Fair Shake, about what drug laws and the cannabis business can teach us about social equity in the U.S.

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

In 2012, Fred Harris watched legalization pass him by from a prison cell in Colorado. Despite being the first state to legalize recreational cannabis, the law didn't account for people like Fred, who were still serving cannabis-related sentences. That meant getting out of prison would be no easy feat -- even after his son, Arzelle Lewis, called in celebrities and NBA stars to help plead his dad's case.

This story is Part 5 of 8 in a series called Fair Shake, about what drug laws and the cannabis business can teach us about social equity in the U.S.

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

Ronnie Bell is a pot farmer in California's Inland Empire. Despite living in a state where weed is legal, Ronnie's farm is not. Since the state passed recreational legalization in 2016, counties like his have ramped up law enforcement to try and stamp out underground pot growers and dealers. But Ronnie and his neighbors say that selling legal weed has become too big of a business for them to step out of the shadows.

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

Mildred Barnes Griggs wanted to get into the cannabis business to revitalize the economy of her small hometown of Marianna, Arkansas. But when she and her expert team applied for a license to grow, all they got was disappointment. Their application was supposed to be judged on merit, but, in this case, the meaning of merit isn’t all that clear.

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

Massachusetts won national praise for being the first state to legalize recreational weed with an eye to equity. Voters in 2016 said they wanted a cannabis industry that somehow included people who were impacted by the War on Drugs. But since then, those very people have been squeezed out of the industry -- people like Chauncy Spencer. He grew up in Boston, sold weed when he was young, and paid the price for it. When he tried to open a legal pot shop, he faced surprising competition from another entrepreneur who was quietly backed by a major corporation.

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

Welcome to Season 3 of On Something, and Part 1 of a series we’re calling Fair Shake.

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

On Something is back soon, with more stories about life after legalization! 
 
 We’re calling this season Fair Shake. You’ll hear eight episodes about the the pitfalls along the path to social equity. 
 
 Maybe you think ‘life after legalization’ means we’re all living in and benefitting from the green rush. Except not everyone is enjoying the fruits of legal weed. Black and brown people have been largely left out of a billion-dollar industry. And now, in most states that have legalized, people of color are still on the outside looking in. 

This summer, host Ann Marie Awad and the On Something team try to figure out why — and see what solutions might help. Subscribe now for new episodes beginning May 11!

Your favorite podcast about life after legalization recently hosted a virtual live event about awkward and unexpected tales of sentiment and substance. Six seriously talented storytellers shared anecdotes about those times when family and drugs collide. We called it “Your Family, On Something.”