A California taskforce has recommended that the legislature pass reparations laws to compensate two million Black Americans for the disproportionate harms caused by the drug war in California over the past half century.
The California Task Force to Study & Develop Reparation proposals for African Americans, which was convened in 2010 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, (D), in 2020 released an interim report last — voted on Saturday to to submit their finalized recommendations to Governor and Legislature.
The draft final Report included a chapter that examined the history of racism in California from various angles. This chapter focused on mass imprisonment and the drug war.
The taskforce “recommends” that compensation be paid as uniform payments, based on the recipient’s residence in California for the period of harm. (For example, a resident of a community over-policed during the ‘War on Drugs.’ between 1971 and 2020).
Members also recommended that the “Legislature enact a process for individuals to claim compensation for specific injuries. For example, if an individual was arrested or imprisoned for a drug offense during the War on Drugs, even if it is now legalized, as in the case of marijuana.
The report states that “although federal and state governments had long targeted African Americans in discriminatory arrests and incarcerations, the scope and extent of such unjust police practices grew exponentially after the ‘War on Drugs,’ which began under Nixon’s administration in 1971, was launched.”
Members discussed how they calculated the impact of racially biased enforcement and incarceration for drug offenses, including analysis of the cost of prison time and other collateral effects related to drug convictions.
The assessment of racial discrimination is based on comparing the average arrest rates, convictions, and sentences for Black and white people who have engaged in drug-related activities at similar rates but experienced different consequences within the criminal justice system.
The panel determined that, in terms of drug war reparations for Black Californians, the state legislature should pay approximately 1,976,911 Black Californians an estimated $115,260 by 2020. This is a total of 2,352 dollars per person, for “each of the 49 years of residence in California between 1971 and 2020.” This amounts to $227,858,891,023 for reparations.
The Task Force’s expert estimated that African American non Hispanic Californian drug offenders spent disproportionately more time behind bars than white non Hispanic drug offenders in the 49-year period of the War on Drugs from 1971 to 2020. These disparities can be measured in years. The experts assigned a monetary value by calculating the average annual salary of a California State employee.
The members stated that “African American residents of California who were imprisoned for possession or distribution substances which are now legal such as marijuana, should also be able seek compensation for their time in prison, as discussed previously.”
The report states that the drug war led to a “massively disproportionate” incarceration rate of African Americans. It also led to “unemployment and homelessness in many economically-depressed African American communities after incarcerated African Americans had been released.”
The report also highlights the disparity in sentencing between crack cocaine and powder cocaine, which was enacted during the Reagan Administration by Congress as an example of drug policies that have a disparate effect on black communities.
The task force stated that racial disparities should not exist in drug enforcement, given the similarity in drug crimes between African Americans (drug possession) and white Americans (drug selling). As the records show, these disparities are profound.
The task force also made recommendations for reinstatement of affirmative action, the abolishment of the death penalty, the restoration voting rights to formerly and current incarcerated persons, free college tuition for people who are eligible for reparations, eliminating cash bail, providing universal single payer healthcare, and more.
The panel proposes additional compensation for housing discrimination and health disparities, in addition to the payments made during the Drug War era.
The members will meet for one final time on the 29th of June before submitting their final report to the Legislature. The task force includes Sen. Steven Bradford, (D), and Assemblyman Reginald Jones Sawyer (D), who are expected to push for legislation that will achieve the goals of the report.
In Washington, D.C., legislators filed marijuana legislation in the beginning of this year. The bill includes provisions for reparations to give direct payments to those who have suffered harm due to cannabis criminalization.
Beto O’Rourke, the former Democratic presidential nominee, , proposed a federal plan for marijuana legalization that included reparations for the drug war, funded with cannabis tax dollars.
In February, California officials announced that they had awarded $15 million to local efforts in order to promote equity within the marijuana industry.
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, (GO-Biz), distributed the money to 16 cities and Counties across the state via the Cannabis Equity Grants Program. The program opened applications late last year.
GO-Biz distributed a series of grants for community reinvestment totaling $35.5 millions last year with tax revenues generated by recreational marijuana sales.
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The article California Task Force Recommends 228 Billion in Drug War Reparations for Black Americans first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
