Reefer Madness: an undeserved classic movie

Hall, Wayne; Yeates, Sarah

doi:10.1111/add.15258

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The media depicted exaggerated harms and side effects of cannabis, that generally reflected racial stereotypes and social anxieties surrounding cannabis use and violent crime (Carroll 2004). Reefer madness campaigns were sparked by cannabis melodramas that were released in the mid-to-late 1930s that depicted the terrible fate of white youth when introduced to cannabis, such as death and violence (Hall and Yeates 2021). These films depicted not only the exaggerated harms associated with cannabis use, but how those harms would impact young white individuals, with primarily Black individuals as the source of their introduction to the substance.…”

Section: Cannabis Prohibition and Criminalizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Strains of Inequality: An Exploration of the Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Black and Indigenous Peoples in Canada

DiLoreto¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This thesis presents the lived experiences of 19 Black, Indigenous, and white individuals in the new age of cannabis legalization within Canada, to demonstrate the long-lasting and unintended consequences of decades of drug prohibition and criminalization. As a response to the promise that legalization would bring with it racial justice, this research centres the experiences of racialized people, bringing into focus forms of inequality, prejudice and discrimination that remain intact despite changes to drug policy. To complement numerous quantitative studies on the lasting impacts of cannabis criminalization, this qualitative research explores the nuances of individual experiences of legalization among cannabis users. This research draws on broader theoretical perspectives surrounding settler colonialism, intersectionality, and race to situate both the historical and contemporary effects of cannabis prohibition. This research situates the interview findings within a critical race and cumulative disadvantage framework, using racial habitus as a conceptual tool for understanding the differences in experience across racial categories. By conducting open-focused interviews with Black, Indigenous, and white individuals who use either the new legal means of obtaining cannabis or illegal methods of acquiring it, this thesis reveals the extent to which notions of race become entrenched in the commonly held perceptions of cannabis use and users and in turn, how these notions impact the experiences and decision-making of racialized cannabis users in the post-legalization landscape. From the findings, racial differences are seen in feelings of awareness to differing reactions to cannabis, in perceptions of safety, and in levels mistrust, which in turn establish and enhance barriers to participation in the new legal scheme. In particular, Black and Indigenous interviewees altered their behaviours surrounding their cannabis use while in certain settings based on how they believed they may be perceived. Most notably, Black participants had a general mistrust surrounding the new legal system that influenced all Black participants in this study to refrain from obtaining cannabis through the new legal means. This thesis concludes that race is particularly important when it comes to understanding the impacts of legalization, as it alters the way in which individuals come to be perceived, how they experience phenomena, and how they react to situations. My findings reinforce the need for alternatives outside of drug policy reform in order to address long-standing biases and inequalities related to drugs and the criminal justice system that continue to impact Black and Indigenous communities across Canada.

show abstract

Section: Cannabis Prohibition and Criminalizationmentioning

confidence: 99%