Killer Mike Pens Op-Ed On Bringing African-Americans Into Marijuana Industry

Killer Mike has written an op-ed for Rolling Stone that calls on state lawmakers to reform laws that prohibit “convicted felons, including those convicted of nonviolent drug crimes, from operating, or even working in” dispensaries in the United States. In the article, Mike gives an overview on the racially-charged history of marijuana prohibition, as well as statistics on how black Americans are almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession, even though cannabis use among black and white people is nearly equal.

He then explains how the rise of legalized marijuana in the U.S. could be a chance for previously-convicted individuals to participate in the industry. “The current movement to legalize marijuana offers a small but important opportunity to dismantle these inequalities,” Mike wrote. “And yet the people most likely to be victims of marijuana prohibition are the least likely to profit in its aftermath.” Near the end of the op-ed, Mike cites California’s leniency for non-violent drug offenders as an example for other states. Read the full thing here.

In the past, Killer Mike has written op-eds defending a high school rapper’s First Amendment rights and about the Baltimore riots.

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