Last week, the Housing Works marijuana dispensary opened in downtown Manhattan. The line of people seemed to stretch halfway through downtown Manhattan. I don’t really like pot, but if I did, I’d rather support my local bodega than wait in line like at some dumb club.
I shouldn’t be cynical; Housing Works is a great organization, and proceeds will go towards supporting its mission of aiding people facing homelessness and AIDS.
The blog Hellgate NYC covered the opening, honing in on the social justice aspect:
Weeeeeeed, Get Your Fresh, Social Justice-Infused, 100 Percent Legal Weed Here!
The money generated from Housing Works cannabis sales would go into providing reentry resources for people who were recently incarcerated for drug offenses, as well as the advocacy work necessary to open safe injection sites, and fight harsh drug laws. Of the 30 employees at the store, three have convictions for drug offenses. "We believe in safe supply. We believe in full decriminalization. We believe that people ought to be able to be allowed to live their lives in full," King said.
Would some of the money go to people who are, literally, being arrested for possession as we speak? In the first quarter of 2022, there were 35 arrests for marijuana, almost all for “criminal possession,” rather than sales, according to NYPD statistics. There were 33 in the second quarter, and 42 in the third quarter. That’s more than a hundred in the nine months of the year. Almost all of them are Black and Hispanic. Just 8 were white. In the first quarter, not a single white person was arrested.
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