It's 420 Day, and you know what that means.

Expunge the records, empty the jails, of course!

OK, maybe you didn’t know what that means

It is not 100% certain where the term 420, as in marijuana, and 420 Day, as in April 20, originally came from, but all signs point to it being created by a bunch of teens in Oakland back in the 70s. As in at 4:20PM they were out of school and able to go get high, so that was their code for weed.

420 Day has become a meme that even corporations indulge in…and politicians. California’s state bill to make medical marijuana legal was Senate bill #420. And all that’s pretty cute, but it’s also a good time to remember how the “war on drugs” became a war on lower income neighborhoods and people of color in general, with weed being one easy path to the mass incarceration problem we have now in this country. [If you want to read the definitive accessible work on mass incarceration…and how it all begins with biased policing…I recommend The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.]

The ACLU released an updated report on the racial divide in pot arrests in 2020, and Weedmaps addressed at length how a country where the majority live in states where weed is legalized can still have many thousands of arrests each year and tens of thousand still imprisoned.

Some states, like mine, have passed laws allowing those with past offenses to petition for expungement, sentence reduction, release and more. But not every state that has legalized has taken that step, and weed is still a federal offense, so we have some folks raking it in in this new billion dollar industry…selling weed, to be clear…and some people taking quick pleas and prison sentences that forever affect their ability to get jobs and more because they don’t have the money to post bond or hire a decent lawyer.

So, yeah, while I take my THC-infused sleep aid and remember my college-day hijinks, and how none of that has ever put me at risk, I’m going to advocate for federal legalization, and a nationwide initiative to liberate those with petty pot infractions.

I’m curious: Are you on board with that? If not, what is your alternate POV, and are you concerned about the ongoing inequities? How do you balance those?

Last week-ish

As promised, Episode 53 of The Op-Ed Page podcast featured my analysis of (and some dramatic readings from) a 75-year old book that is intensely resonant today, The Plague by Albert Camus. It is seriously eerie how human nature does not change…for the good and for the bad.

I also continued to feel so strongly about the ineffective wordsmithing around the police reform issue that I spoke about in last week’s issue of this newsletter that I vented a bit more on that.

Coming this week-ish

Well, I would remiss if I didn’t share that they just announced that they have a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial (for murdering George Floyd) and will be announcing it this afternoon…about an hour from this writing. My day just got exponentially more anxious, and I’m far removed both geographically and relationship-wise from the epicenter of this case. But I’m HUMAN, so I’m invested in seeing a just outcome. Invested in, but not optimistic about. Wow, this day just got way more stressful and emotional. And if you’re feeling that way too, it’s understandable. Holding on…

In addition, it’s been a while since I have done a podcast episode focused on the pandemic, so I’m feeling like it’s time. Time to talk about where we are, and time to talk about how I’m feeling as I approach my “freedom day,” i.e. 2 weeks post second vaccine dose. I’m feeling very apprehensive about people-ing again, and I’m not the only one (great post by Mike Monteiro on how none of us are the same in the wake of 2020). I would love to hear where you are in your COVID-freedom journey, and how you’re feeling about the transition. Or is it all just too soon to be anxiously ruminating about?

Also, anticipating two events this week…I’m attending a book event for Jenny Lawson’s new book, Broken (in the best possible way). I just finished listening to the audiobook this morning, so I’m excited to listen to Jenny in conversation with Christopher Moore…another funny, quirky, eminently readable author.

I’m also attending another event about the local issue I’ve decided to educate myself and activate the most around…namely, my area’s housing crisis and associated homelessness crisis. There’s this thing called “Opportunity Housing” that could be helpful, and a lot of my neighbors seem to oppose it. I’m thus far in support, so I’m learning enough about it to be dangerous in support of my position.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on all of the above. And as always I appreciate a share of this newsletter or my podcast. 

And if you think I can help you break through the things that are keeping you stuck, you can always set up your first introductory 30-minute consult for free by booking it in my Calendly.

Have a great week-ish!