Adding a racial lens to the legislated review of the Cannabis Act

Given what we now know about the insidious way cannabis regulation has historically been a vehicle for systemic racism in Canada, a legislative review without a racial equity impact assessment would be negligent.

Given the history of BIPOC Canadians being disproportionately stopped, searched, arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated for cannabis possession offences than white Canadians, the development of the legalization framework, as well as its implementation, should have involved robust consultation with Black and other racialized groups, write Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Annamaria Enenajor. Unsplash photograph by LexScope

Opinion

BY AKWASI OWUSU-BEMPAH, ANNAMARIA ENENAJOR

October 28, 2020

The story of the enforcement of cannabis laws in Canada is one of historical injustice and inequality. Indeed, it is undisputed by this government that one of the greatest injustices in our country is the ...

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