(This is the first installment of Small Closet Radio, Local Dirt's summer substitute.)California's marijuana laws could change soon. In November, California voters will decide whether to legalize, regulate, and tax adult recreational marijuana use. The decision, it turns out, has class and race implications that many don't recognize. In this show, we explore these implications.
Debate. Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness and retired Orange County judge James Gray discuss the details of CA Prop 19 and explain their hopes and concerns.
Race. Sociologist Harry Levine, co-author of the report "Targeting Blacks for Marijuana,"
explains that because of the way that policing works throughout the U.S., marijuana prohibition leads to tremendous racial and class inequality -- that, on average, people of color use marijuana less than white people do, but get arrested far more.
Listen here. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.
Music credit: "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground" by The Asylum Street Spankers (God's Favorite Band on Yellow Dog)
Photo credit: Aliza Hausman, FrumSatire.net
