Philadelphia resident Damion Smith was once arrested on his personal property for cannabis use. Then it happened again, in a new neighborhood. And after moving to another home, again.
Stories of cannabis-related incarceration against Black and Brown people led grassroots organizers to host a “Joints for Justice” rally in the state Capitol’s rotunda this week. Advocates passed out flyers and signs for “Cannabis Day at the Capitol.”
“I pay taxes. It’s a part of my culture,” Smith said. “It feels like an attack on my culture.”
Handheld posters called for the end of mass incarceration and cannabis legalization. Others called out the racial inequity of cannabis arrests in the state. The hourlong conference was organized by several cannabis-focused organizations, including Free My Weedman and the Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities, co-founded by longtime cannabis advocate Cherron Perry-Thomas.
“I hate to sound like Paul Revere,” said Perry-Thomas during her introduction. “But cannabis is coming.”
A bill awaiting a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee would decriminalize cannabis in Pennsylvania. Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) introduced the legislation.
Under the bill, Pennsylvania would join seven other states in decriminalization, categorizing cannabis use as only a civil or local infraction.
“Why should you have to be penalized at all?” Street asked at the conference.
Another bill supported by Street would legalize marijuana in the state. Senate Bill 846 awaits consideration in the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
Twenty-eight other states have expungement laws for cannabis-related offenses, but Pennsylvania does not. Recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states, but in Pennsylvania it is only legal for medicinal use.
Rep. Amen Brown introduced companion legislation to the state Senate legalization bill in the House. House Bill 2210 awaits action in the Health Committee and is not yet scheduled for consideration.
“I have a personal experience with this issue. A lot of my friends have personal experiences with this issue,” Brown said. “I’m here to get this done.”
Several other state lawmakers spoke at Cannabis Day, including Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D-Montgomery), chair of the Pennsylvania Black Caucus. Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) and Rep. Donna Bullock (D-Philadelphia) also gave speeches.
Involved legislators focused on ensuring profit for marginalized communities in the cannabis industry and situating marijuana legalization in the context of racial justice.
“The folks closest to the pain should experience most of the gain,” Rabb said. “There’s a lot of wealthy people who want to keep it amongst themselves.”
The conference transitioned to the future of cannabis in its final minutes.
The Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities announced its 2024 report, which assesses the significance of cannabis in Black communities and advocates for an adult use cannabis legalization bill in Pennsylvania.
Scheril Murray Powell, president of cannabis consulting firm Green Sustainable Strong and general counsel for Minorities for Medical Marijuana, used words rather than data to imagine the future of marijuana in the state.
“The future of cannabis is equitable,” Powell said. “That’s what this country stands for. That’s what Pennsylvania was built off of.”
(This article was updated at 2:47 p.m. on Thursday, June 13, 2024, to correctly state that legislation to legalize cannabis is pending the Senate Judiciary Committee.)
