The CCIC organization stands with Black communities against racial injustice and firmly believes that #BlackLivesMatter , within Canada, the United States, and abroad.
The CCIC is an organization focused on the study of cannabis and cannabinoids, and therefore, it is vital that we recognize that cannabis use, research and policy are domains ripe with injustices against Black people and communities. The history of cannabis prohibition is filled with targeted discrimination against Black populations, as well as other racial minorities. Cannabis law has been used as a mechanism of disproportionate incarceration of Black people in Canada and the US for decades. Today, criminal injustices continue to disproportionately affect racial minorities in the US and Canada.
With input from our community, we will continue to work to increase our diversity in our education, outreach and research programs, with regard to gender identity and racial diversity. Furthermore, we will work with Black researchers and trainees to amplify their voices and work at our annual meeting and outreach events.
To learn more about the research regarding the racialization of cannabis prohibition, please watch this talk by Akwasi Owusu-Bempah (@AOBempah) presented at the CCIC meeting last year:
http://www.cciceducation.com/posts/cannabis-legalization-and-marginalized-populations
In the coming days, we will be using our platform to amplify the voices and research of Black researchers in the cannabis and cannabinoid space.