The Price of Cannabis Prohibition: Profits, Public Health, and the Case for Legalization – Harvard Independent
Harvard Independent’s Weed Issue this month featured considerations for the case of cannabis legalization. This student-led paper discussed the potential public health risks noting that risks could be managed within a regulatory framework.
In the article, Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, a criminologist, sociologist, and associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto, is interviewed about his research that centers on systemic inequality in the U.S. justice system where he sees cannabis use as closely linked to racial profiling and mass incarceration.
When asked whether students and universities could play a role in shaping the future of cannabis policy, he said, “I absolutely do.”
“Students for Sensible Drug Policy, for example, which is a student based organization, which often promotes legalization and sensible approaches to drug policy would be key. So I would say absolutely, student engagement, student activism, and student encouragement of policy shift—it is a must,” he said.
