Botanical Apartheid: Who Really Benefits from Legalization? | John Veit

Cannabis may be legal in much of America, but has legalization repaired the damage caused by decades of prohibition—or simply changed who is allowed to profit from the plant?On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with journalist, author and photographer John Veit, who has covered cannabis and international drug policy for High Times and other independent publications since 1992.John’s new book, Botanical Apartheid: Impacts of Drug Wars on Politics, Culture and the Environment, brings together more than three decades of reporting, research, photography and interviews examining the global consequences of the War on Drugs.Montel and John explore the political and racial forces behind cannabis prohibition, the expansion of policing and incarceration, and the role independent media played in preserving cannabis culture when speaking openly about the plant carried significant personal and professional risks.They also examine the complicated transition from legalization to commercialization. Did legacy growers and communities harmed by prohibition receive a fair opportunity to participate in the legal industry? Can expensive licensing systems and burdensome regulations become a new form of exclusion? And what happens when the people who preserved cannabis knowledge and genetics are pushed aside as the plant becomes a corporate commodity?The conversation also travels beyond the United States to examine South Africa’s history with cannabis—known locally as dagga—and the intersection of drug policy with colonialism, apartheid, indigenous cultivation and economic inequality.Finally, John explains the environmental consequences of the global drug war and what policymakers, regulators and today’s cannabis industry must learn from the past.After decades spent fighting to legalize the plant, the question is no longer simply whether cannabis should be legal. The question is: What kind of cannabis system are we building?Learn more about John Veit and Botanical Apartheid at VeitPublishing.com.Subscribe to Let’s Be Blunt with Montel for candid conversations about cannabis science, policy, business, medicine and culture. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.