“The legalization of marijuana within Canada is in full effect as of Oct. 17, but in the wake of this change there’s another hurdle for politicians to overcome. Should those convicted of marijuana-related crimes under outdated drug laws receive amnesty? Recently the NDP has put forward a bill to expunge records of minor non-violent marijuana possession charges, suggesting that Canadians shouldn’t continue to be punished for something no longer illegal. Not only do I agree with this step forward, but I am reminded of the demographics that would be most affected by this bill.
Black and Indigenous people are overrepresented in our country’s weed arrests, and it isn’t because they committed the most crimes. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, different races use the substance at roughly the same rate, yet Edmonton police, for example, have been criticized in the past for performing racialized street checks targeting people of colour. When we over-police our minorities, we overrepresent them in our prisons, and this heavily applies to convictions of marijuana possession.”
Read more













