african american – MJ News Network

COLORADO: Scott Durrah, owner of Simply Pure Dispensary and longtime Denver resident, has announced his candidacy for NW Denver, District 1 City Council. With the rise of politically diverse voices emerging across the country, Durrah, a Marine veteran, long-time entrepreneur and activist who has campaigned for many officials from President Obama to Colorado’s recently-elected and newly dubbed “Pot Governor” Jared Polis, believes now is the time to join the race and represent his community.

“I’m running to take a principled stand for residents of this district on a wide range of issues including an emphasis on community focused development and addressing the ongoing concerns with our infrastructure at a time of hyper growth,” says Durrah.Over the last decade, Northwest Denver has seen significant changes, especially in the relationship between residents and development. The growing population and rise in rental costs and property values have pushed out many long-time locals and small business owners. Durrah, who has solid relationships with old and new community members says, “there must be a bridge that connects real solutions to our growing community issues.”

Durrah and wife Wanda James have owned and operated five businesses employing over 100 people in their 13 years as homeowners and residents of NW Denver. The couple is known in Colorado politics as fundraisers for President Obama’s National Finance Committee and are nationally known for their work in social justice and advancing the legalization of cannabis. Scott’s television appearances include The Daily Show, CBS This Morning’s “Eat, Drink & Be Merry” and VICE as a professional chef and as an advocate for medical marijuana education.

As the first African-American in the United State to receive a legal vertical cannabis distribution, cultivation and production license, Durrah is also among a growing number of voices speaking to the political power of cannabis. Across the country, from 2020 presidential hopefuls to local elections, candidates are throwing their support behind cannabis legalization and its potential to generate tax revenue for community reinvestment, as well as beginning to address long-standing social justice issues.

Durrah says, “I value the people in my community and I know I can make a difference. My diverse professional background has prepared me to take on this responsibility. I am the bridge that connects residents and small businesses to local government. As the City Council member representing District 1, I will be the eyes, ears and voice for our community and speak for the responsible community-driven growth we want for all neighborhoods.”

NEW JERSEY: “This is one of those issues, like the civil rights movement of the 1960s, where it should pull all Americans together to say enough is enough,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) told Vox.

The Senator is baffled by the fact that both groups, Black and White, use and sell marijuana at the same rate, but African Americans are 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for it. In New Jersey, Booker said, African Americans make up just 14.7 percent of the population but account for 61 percent of the prison population.

“You go to college campuses and you’ll get white drug dealers. I know this from my own experience of growing up and going to college myself,” Booker told Vox. “Fraternity houses are not being raided by police at the level you see with communities in inner cities.”

Booker is also rattled by the overwhelming number of prisoners incarcerated for drug-related crimes. Meanwhile, prisoners who are arrested for violent, more severe crimes are drastically lower. In 2013, nearly 100,000 prisoners were jailed for drug-related violations; in the same year, just under 10,000 were incarcerated for violent crimes.