Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice

Join the Institute of Politics and Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project for a discussion with the authors of the new book “Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice.” The conversation will center on the history and current developments of cannabis legislation through a lens of racial reckoning. Authors Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Tahira Rehmatullah will discuss how racism runs throughout the history of American drug policies and what we can do to move towards a more equitable future. The conversation will be moderated by Khalil Gibran Muhammad, director of the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project and Ford Foundation Professor of History, Race, and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

This discussion is a part of the “Looking Back, Paying it Forward” speaker series, co-hosted by the Institute of Politics and Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. The series examines how reparative practices, truth commissions, and institutional reckoning with structural oppression provide ways forward for equitable change.

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Event Details

Please register by noon on the day of this event if you would like the possibility of attending the Forum in person. Registrants will be notified no later than 5:00 PM ET that day if a seat is available for them in the venue.

If a seat is unavailable or you will not be attending in person, viewers can stream the event live via our YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook pages. You do not need to register for virtual attendance.

The IOP encourages persons with disabilities to participate in our programs. If you have questions about accommodations or the physical access provided, please contact 617.495.1360 or iop_info@hks.harvard.edu in advance of the event.

The Forum is currently closed to those without a Harvard ID, and RSVPs are required for in-person attendance.