Then (2015), Chasing the Scream
The Racial Drug War in 2026: Has Anything Changed?
Hari documented the racial origins of drug prohibition, Anslinger's explicit racial targeting, Ehrlichman's admission, and the ongoing racial disparities in enforcement. His implicit question: will legalization change this?
contested
ACLU 2020 data: Black Americans 3.73x more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession despite similar use rates, including in legal states. 2024 update: while marijuana arrests declined in states with legal cannabis, racial disparities in arrest rates persisted, in some legal states, the ratio of Black to white arrest rates increased as total arrests decreased. Social equity licensing programs in Illinois, New York, California, Massachusetts: by 2024, Black-owned businesses represented approximately 4% of licensed cannabis operators despite explicit equity mandates. Biden's October 2022 federal pardons: approximately 6,500 federal marijuana possession convictions pardoned; state-level convictions (the vast majority) not addressed. The racial history Hari documented has not been remedied by cannabis legalization. Legalization and equity are different projects.
Sources
- ACLU, A Tale of Two Countries (2020)
- Marijuana Policy Project, Equity Report (2024)
- Cannabis trade press, Diversity & Inclusion Report (2024)