Grantee Partner Spotlight with P.U.R.E. Cannabis Coalition

Woods Fund Chicago sat down with Katelyn Johnson, a leader within P.U.R.E. Cannabis Coalition and the Executive Director of Black Roots Alliance, to talk about P.U.R.E.’s (People United for Racial Equity) work within and around cannabis legalization, changing narratives around drug usage, and liberating those who have been impacted most severely by the War on Drugs.

Katelyn, please tell us a bit about the P.U.R.E. Cannabis Coalition? What spurred the coalition to form? What is the coalition's mission?

PURE started because a group of us had been hearing rumors about cannabis legalization and realized that legislators hadn’t yet started talking to the people about what they wanted related to the issue. It started with Action Now Institute, Equity and Transformation, and SOUL, joining with Grow Greater Englewood, Chicago Food Policy Action Council and Chicago NORML. PURE wasn’t designed to be a long-term coalition, we wanted to catalyze the conversations around racial equity in cannabis and make sure that everyday, grassroots people had a say in the policy. The mission was to unite people around a demand for racial equity in cannabis; PURE stands for People United for Racial Equity. 

How was the coalition involved in legalizing cannabis usage in Illinois?

Every partner in PURE had a particular contribution based on their unique experience. Some organized a canvass and a ballot initiative asking people that if cannabis were to be legalized, would they want the money to go to addressing the harm caused by the war on drugs (people overwhelmingly said yes). Most partners worked on informing legislation, participating in working groups hosted by Gov Pritzker. Others worked on getting entrepreneurs ready for the realities of the cannabis industry. And others worked on making sure that needs and demands for equity with people formerly incarcerated due to informal cannabis sales were addressed. Some partners also worked with Black and Brown farmers, and worked to address the agricultural and environmental issues related to industrial cannabis and cultivation. We hosted community conversations and panel discussions. We weren’t really working to legalize anything; legalization was going to happen with or without us. We were working to make sure that if cannabis was legalized that racial equity would be at the center of the discussion, and we worked to make sure people knew about what was happening and make sure that people were paying attention to how legalization could impact their communities. The focus was on racial equity in the context of cannabis legalization, but it wasn’t just about legalization itself.

As other government bodies consider legalization across the country, how can they ensure racial equity is embedded into the process?

They have to center people who have been harmed by the criminalization of cannabis — I.e. center the people and communities who have been harmed by the War on Drugs. It has to be about using the policy to address the harm that has been committed and not have loopholes that could continue to exploit historically excluded communities, while creating equitable on-ramps for those who do want a chance at industry success. Equity has to be based on on-the-ground realities, recognizing that access to capital will get in the way of those seeking industry access from disproportionately impacted communities. They have to burst the criminal legal system doors wide open and rethink everything related to how cannabis was criminalized and make it right. It is immoral to allow anyone to make money in a regulated industry while people are incarcerated for essentially the same business activities. 

Many activists have pointed out that legalization isn’t the end-all be-all for addressing the impact the criminalization of marijuana has had on people of color for decades. What considerations need to be made once legislation to decriminalize and legalize is passed? What can we learn from Illinois’ experience?

Formerly incarcerated people and communities that were ground zero for the War on Drugs must be indemnified. For decades, cannabis was painted as a gateway drug for all sorts of things. Legalization can be a gateway to reparations; it might be the door that is open right now, but it’s not the whole room. The public narrative has to change around cannabis, because the cultural memory on this issue somehow can allow the billion dollar industry to thrive while the people who became street experts went to jail and continue to be criminalized. Regardless of what the cannabis charge is, people who have it on their records need to be exonerated, expunged, vacated, resentenced, whatever it takes to clear their names and then be supported towards reclaiming their lives because the War on Drugs created more than issues around cannabis, it created conditions that resulted in real harm beyond incarceration like limiting people’s ability to get housing and jobs, and all of that harm needs to be addressed, not just the cannabis connections.

Who are some key members who have led the charge in developing equitable policy around cannabis-usage?

For PURE, it wasn’t about whether or not cannabis usage should be legalized, it was about what happens to the communities that have been targeted by the War on Drugs. In that regard, Equity and Transformation (EAT) has led the charge in developing policies and programs that center formerly incarcerated people on this issue. Their “Big Payback Campaign” is ground-breaking because it is focused on holding the state accountable to their commitment to reparations for the War on Drugs, and is creating pathways that provide reparations to survivors of the War on Drugs that still need to be addressed - compensation and fulfilling the commitment of guaranteed non repetition. They are doing so much on this issue, making connections between industry, formerly incarcerated people, and the general public.

What are the current objectives for P.U.R.E.?

Political education, people need to know that their rights around cannabis usage have changed and now that it’s legal, they have to protect themselves because the police are still profiling people and using their lack of knowledge on the issue against them. We’re also looking at loopholes in the law that still allow for criminalization of Black and Brown people. For example, in 2020, post-legalization, some 2000+ arrests were made related to cannabis and a majority of them were Black— we need to educate folks on how to keep themselves safe. We’re also focusing on other aspects of the issue, like what happens to the community members who were harmed by the War on Drugs but who don’t want anything to do with the industry, like how the revenue dollars can be used to support real-time community needs. We want to use this opportunity to bring people together to imagine what their communities could look like if real reparations hit their block because the slavery, Jim Crow, the War on Drugs and the pandemic related racial disparities are all on the same continuum.