The association between '420' and cannabis culture originated in the early 1970s with a group of high school students called the 'Waldos' in California. They met at 4:20 p.m. to search for a rumoured abandoned cannabis crop. '420' became their code word for cannabis consumption and later spread through popular culture, celebrated on April 20th. Let’s delve into the roots of cannabis in parallel with the elements of Black culture and how its criminalization intertwines with racism, based by the documentary 'Grass is Greener' (Fab 5 Freddie, 2019).
Jazz music originated in the African American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the 1920s, known as the Jazz Age, jazz has been recognized as a major form of musical expression. Jazz musicians were pioneers in using references to cannabis, popularizing slang terms like reefer, gauge, jive, and weed. The herb helped performers to improvise and innovate. During the first three decades of the 20th century, as urbanization and integration of Black and White communities occurred, there was anxiety and prohibition, despite segregation. Powerful racists and xenophobes took advantage of emerging multimedia platforms, such as newspapers, movies, and televised advertisements, to fuel hatred towards minorities who smoked marijuana in Texas and New Orleans and disseminate fake news.
In the nutshell, the hippie movement was characterized by a commitment to peace, love, and personal freedom, along with an embrace of alternative lifestyles, unconventional fashion, and music, as well as experimentation with drugs, and a focus on environmental and social justice. The Beat Movement, which rejected mainstream culture and advocated for spiritual and artistic liberation, inspired the hippie movement. This period marked the emergence of marijuana in mainstream consciousness and the beginning of the drug war in the United States, which was intertwined with veiled racism. The former president Nixon vs legalization; heroin (Black community) vs marijuana (white).
This movement crossed the Atlantic Ocean and laid the groundwork for the British Invasion, which refers to the influx of British rock bands that achieved international success in the early to mid-1960s. The ethos of rebellion against mainstream culture, embrace of spontaneity and individual expression, and exploration of taboo subjects may have resonated with some British musicians and artists. Key figures of the British Invasion such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Pink Floyd have referenced cannabis in their songs, reflecting the drug's prevalence within countercultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s. For example, cannabis is mentioned implicitly in songs like “Got to Get You into My Life" (The Beatles), “My Generation” (The Who), “Comfortably Numb” (Pink Floyd), “We Love You” (The Rolling Stones) and "Sweet Leaf"(Black Sabbath).
The mid-1970s witnessed the rise of reggae music with prominent names like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Reggae music's birthplace was in Jamaica, featuring lyrics that opposed the remnants of British colonialism and promoted Rastafari culture. This movement began in the early 20th century with Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia regarded as the embodiment of God (Jah). Rastafari practices include the sacramental use of cannabis, adherence to a vegetarian 'ital' diet, and principles of harmony with nature and equality for all. Reggae music played a significant role in popularizing terms like 'ganja' and 'kaya' as alternative names for marijuana, while also advocating for its medicinal benefits.
The 1980s witnessed the birth of the Hip Hop and Rap music scene in Bronx NYC, coinciding with another phase of marijuana prohibition in the United States. During this time, President Ronald Reagan's administration employed propaganda, disseminated fake news, and intensified law enforcement efforts targeting the Black and Latino communities, while comparatively neglecting the issue of crack and cocaine use in predominantly white communities. Despite these challenges, Hip-Hop and Rap artists seized the opportunity to advocate for cannabis legalization and awareness through their platforms. Notably, artists such as Red Man, Method Man, Cypress Hill, and Snoop Dogg emerged not only in the Bronx but also on the West Coast, spreading the message of cannabis culture and following the footsteps of pioneers like Jack Herer. Paving the way for other popstars like Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.
It is important to note that cannabis prohibition is not limited to the United States or United Kingdom; it has also had a significant impact in Brazil. The arrival of cannabis in Brazil was through African slaves, who used it as a means to reconnect with their homelands and as a relief from forced labor and humiliation. Portuguese colonialists instituted hemp cultivation, which eventually spread worldwide and was even utilized by indigenous communities. However, while cannabis use was freely and commonly practiced by white people for perceived health benefits, oppressive measures targeting the Black community intensified in the 19th century, particularly with the implementation of laws such as the 'vagrancy law' that unjustly targeted individuals engaged in activities associated with African culture. Despite these challenges, the Black community demonstrated remarkable resilience and resistance through the development of cultural practices such as religions like Umbanda and Candomblé; rhythms like samba, maracatu, axé, coco, afoxé, among others. The influence from the counterculture movements made the herb into mainstream, though in the underground, as we were under the lead years. The 21-years long military dictatorship marked by authoritarianism, human rights abuses, political persecution, exile, and censorship. Through the artists from Brazilian rock and MPB (Brazilian popular music), who were even arrested due to the possession of it. Later, the history repeats with reggae, Carioca Funk, and RAP, in the democracy, though with the artists took advantage of their platforms and influence to provide commentaries about the herb.
Regardless of geographical location, a sobering reality persists: the majority of those incarcerated are Black. Embedded within this reality lies a web of injustices, spanning from historical oppression to contemporary law enforcement practices. Blood in the History books and streets. Marijuana as one of the justifications and loosen bullets which always know their precise geographic coordinates. Black under the cells, the justice is constantly blindfolded with ‘news.’ These charges narrow life opportunities and in a white-privileged society funnels opportunity.
On the other hand, cannabis legalization predominantly serves as a source of economic benefit and capital accumulation, perpetuating a cycle where the rich become richer while the poor become poorer. This dynamic is evident in the emergence of predominantly White millionaires dominating the mainstream cannabis industry, while Black communities' ancestral wisdom and contributions are marginalized, relegated to the underground economy, and overlooked in marketplace opportunities and leadership roles. Moreover, misinformation and stigma surrounding cannabis persist, with false narratives perpetuating myths such as its portrayal as a gateway drug.
Citizens of paper. Numbers in the statistics. Object-does-not-matter in the news headlines. Ghosts haunting the “good citizens.”