About this Episode
Mary J, joint, reefer, jah, pot, herb, weed…No matter what you call it, cannabis is enjoying a makeover, decriminalized coast to coast and legalized in 38 states for medical use. In the recreational space, big profits are also being reaped. But Black folks have paid the heaviest price in the government’s racialized war on drugs that exacted marijuana possession as the entry level for mass incarceration. This episode wades into the weeds with Black women exploring stigma, culture, health and business opportunities.
In this Episode
Ebony Andersen
“I don’t want my mom or my grandmother to go into a cannabis retail store and talk to a 25-year-old ‘Chad’ about fibroids, menopause or anything plaguing (them). They are not going to feel safe, and they are not going to feel comfortable.”
Whitney Beatty
“I was able to find a cannabis regimen to help my anxiety and take me off [medications] completely, which was amazing. But even more so, [it spurred] my research on why I felt so negatively to begin with.”
Muka Chisaka
FREELANCE MODEL AND BRAND AMBASSADOR
“Cannabis has really helped me maintain [my] health, especially when it comes to my mental stability. It has provided me space to…explore very big emotions and very difficult situations . . . I’ve seen a change in how I behave.
Barbara Wynder
RETIRED URBAN PLANNER, UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATOR, ATTORNEY AND BUSINESS OWNER
“All that I need is weed . . . Jah made it from a seed. I don’t know how this could be wrong. When I blaze it make me feel strong.”
Hope Wiseman
“The real culture of the cannabis industry was built on the backs of plenty of brown and Black people…disproportionately targeted because of their [use and possession].”
