The legendary ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s announced on Satuday that they are offically endorsing congressional legislation to deschedule cannabis and push restorative justice.
What We Know:
- This year, the national 4/20 holiday has been disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even though public gatherings and public events are cancelled, some major business are continuing to leverage the occasion to promote cannabis causes and products.
- In past years, Ben & Jerry’s used the 4/20 holiday to address the harms of federal marajuana prohibition, particularly for African American communities but this year was a little different.
- This year, they took the time to stress that while legalization has enabled certain people to profit off of the industry, people of color still continue to be criminalized across the country over marijuana.
Cannabis is legal in 33 states, but hundreds of thousands of people are still arrested for possession every year — a disproportionate number of them Black. This #420, get the facts then join us and @ACLU to take action to pass the MORE Act. Learn more: https://t.co/D3rsTpHaYz pic.twitter.com/PCYC1Z7g1V
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) April 20, 2020
- Ben & Jerry’s made a similar point last year in their 4/20 campaign, that all of this is a part of a multi-year project to support criminal justice reform.
- The ice cream conglomerate has paired up with the American Civil Liberties Union which is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that defends organizations or people whose civil liberties have been violated. Together, they want to help people reach representatives in their state to express support for the Marajuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act.
- The MORE Act is one of the most comprehensive marijuana reforms bill ever introduced in the U.S. Congress. The Act will decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, expunge cannabis-related arrest records and provide assistance to those who’ve been hurt by the long, unjust, and costly War on Drugs.
This #420, we're joining the @ACLU to talk justice. Specifically, justice for the people of color that cannabis legalization has left behind. Get the full scoop and take action now: https://t.co/FolxgtEUgY pic.twitter.com/apz0swYIsr
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) April 19, 2020
It’s hard for us to get excited about #420 when so many people of color are still being arrested for cannabis. We have to do better. Learn more: https://t.co/cDd2GrE9OT pic.twitter.com/aA8JBFyume
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) April 18, 2020
- Executives for Ben & Jerry’s said “most companies are focused on policies that are in their own narrow self-interest” when asked why other private companies decline to take positions on policy issues like legislation. Ben & Jerry executives also expressed that “as the marijuana industry becomes legal, it is important that individuals and companies step up and ensure that the damage that has been done over the years around the drug is somewhat ameliorated as we move to this phase around marijuana”.
There is an increased number of mainstream companies that are leveraging the 4/20 holiday to promote there products such as Smash burger, Taco Bell, and Blaze pizza.
