The legalization of cannabis and the pardon system for simple possession charges should have decreased the criminalization surrounding the drug. Yet advocates say the impact of legalization won’t be equal: Black and Indigenous people, already disproportionately targeted by police, will likely bear the brunt of the new cannabis regulations. Meanwhile, they’re facing some of the biggest barriers to obtain a pardon and enter into the legal cannabis market.

This week’s podcast delves into the links between cannabis and the larger criminalization of Black Canadians. We’re joined by Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, and the director of research for the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty; and El Jones, a Halifax-based poet, educator, journalist and activist.

Cannabis Amnesty: www.cannabisamnesty.ca

High, Good People: www.highgoodpeople.com

Download for free. New episodes every second Wednesday. Tweet your questions and comments to @IRPP or @jbugiel.