We Are Done Deferring

BY FREDERIKA MCCLARY EASLEY, ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE’S ECOSYSTEM

“Harlem” What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?” - Langston Hughes, The Collected Poems

This edition is different - special! We are acknowledging the fourth year of Happy Munkey’s existence. This is a celebration of vision, work and most importantly joy. With decades of accumulated trauma , it’s imperative that we uplift the ways in which the culture has managed to rebel and thrive in spite of oppression. New Yorkers are enjoying a new freedom with consumption and hoping for more progress and the realization of a promise made by lawmakers to repair harm and invest in us and our communities. We have paid way too much and for far too long. We are owed the ability to consider all the amazing possibilities of cannabis without fear of being set up for additional hardships. My colleagues and I took a little time to dream and imagine what would be needed to realize this vision. With a new Governor (the first woman!) and the following names, Chris Alexander (Executive Director, Office of Cannabis Management) and Tremaine Wright (Chair of Cannabis Control Board) tasked with leading the regulatory process, our priorities must be known. We offer the following for your consideration.

Amnesty - We usually hear about clemency being granted, but that doesn’t go far enough. Clemency is showing leniency but the costs that have been paid with lives and time deserves much more than that. Right now, President Biden has the fate of 4,400 people who are serving federal time for nonviolent cannabis related offenses, but were conditionally released due to COVID, in his hands. He must decide if they are able to continue on their journey of reacclimating to society and connecting with friends and family or if they must return to prison to complete their sentence. Complete freedom from prosecution and remembrance of cannabis activities and acquired assets is needed today! Rights Restoration - How many of us know of or have family who lost public housing access or financial assistance due to cannabis consumption or possession? What hardships have they endured because of this? If cannabis is legal than those who have lost access to housing assistance, education grants, voting must be made whole. We all, regardless of socioeconomic status or living choices, must have the ability to fully engage in the cannabis industry. Funding Reallocation - Stock language exists that focuses on the use of tax revenue generated from adult use to fund social equity and community reinvestment funds. The MRTA does include language that reinvests fees from medical operators into equity programs, however we want to go a step further. Now that the war on drugs and the enforcement of cannabis criminalization is unnecessary, associated funds must be reallocated to repairing individual and community harm. Deterrence of Continued Cannabis Criminalization - Police departments were incentivized to make arrests and to confiscate assets. We know the realities of stop and frisk all too well and remember the evening news showing money, jewelry and homes taken. Present day, in cities where cannabis is legal, arrests and harassment still occurs. The only way to reverse this norm is to implement consequences. Law enforcement must be held accountable for causing citizens trauma and the wasting of taxpayers money. Equitable Service Access - Historically Blacks, LatinX and Indigenous communities have experienced discrimination within all systems and institutions. Even with access to the necessary resources, oftentimes the hoops we are made to go through for what is ultimately acquired makes one question the investment. In order to ensure minority owned businesses thrive, equitable access to services such as banking, insurance and real estate, as well the necessary support to navigate processes is a must.

In acknowledgment of Happy Munkey’s fourth year, an idea that was molded and made into reality, I implore you to keep dreaming and defer no more!