On Something Colorado Public Radio

Welcome to Season 3 of On Something, and Part 1 of a series we’re calling Fair Shake.

This season, On Something explores the pursuit of social equity in the cannabis industry, and what it can teach us creating a fairer society.

But first of all, what does social equity even mean? University of Toronto Professor Awkwasi Owusu-Bempah is here to get us all on the same page, and remind us of the stakes. Activist Sonia Erika, who helped legalize in Massachusetts, shares her story of fighting for social equity in the first state to require it -- sort of.

Written and reported by Ann Marie Awad
Lead producer: Luis Antonio Perez
Editor: Dennis Funk
Music: Daniel Mescher, Brad Turner
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Additional producers: Jo Erickson, Rebekah Romberg
Illustrator: Jonell Joshua

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

OnSomething.org
On Twitter: @COPublicRadio

Massachusetts won national praise for being the first state to legalize recreational weed with an eye to equity. Voters in 2016 said they wanted a cannabis industry that somehow included people who were impacted by the War on Drugs. But since then, those very people have been squeezed out of the industry -- people like Chauncy Spencer. He grew up in Boston, sold weed when he was young, and paid the price for it. When he tried to open a legal pot shop, he faced surprising competition from another entrepreneur who was quietly backed by a major corporation.

This story is Part 2 of 8 in a series called Fair Shake, about what drug laws and the cannabis business can teach us about social equity in the U.S.

Written and reported by Ann Marie Awad, with Dan Adams of the Boston Globe
Lead producers: Jo Erickson, with mixing by Matt Simonson
Editor: Dennis Funk
Music: Daniel Mescher, Brad Turner
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Additional producers: Luis Antonio Perez, Rebekah Romberg
Illustrator: Jonell Joshua

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

OnSomething.org
On Twitter: @COPublicRadio

Mildred Barnes Griggs wanted to get into the cannabis business to revitalize the economy of her small hometown of Marianna, Arkansas. But when she and her expert team applied for a license to grow, all they got was disappointment. Their application was supposed to be judged on merit, but, in this case, the meaning of merit isn’t all that clear.

This story is Part 3 of 8 in a series called Fair Shake, about what drug laws and the cannabis business can teach us about social equity in the U.S.

Written and reported by Ann Marie Awad, with Mona Zhang of Politico
Lead producers: Luis Antonio Perez & Rebekah Romberg
Editor: Dennis Funk
Music: Daniel Mescher, Brad Turner
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Additional producers: Jo Erickson
Illustrator: Jonell Joshua

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

OnSomething.org
On Twitter: @COPublicRadio

Ronnie Bell is a pot farmer in California's Inland Empire. Despite living in a state where weed is legal, Ronnie's farm is not. Since the state passed recreational legalization in 2016, counties like his have ramped up law enforcement to try and stamp out underground pot growers and dealers. But Ronnie and his neighbors say that selling legal weed has become too big of a business for them to step out of the shadows.

This story is Part 4 of 8 in a series called Fair Shake, about what drug laws and the cannabis business can teach us about social equity in the U.S.

Written and reported by Ann Marie Awad, with Stephanie Lai
Lead producers: Rebekah Romberg, Matthew Simonson, Kristy Totten
Editor: Dennis Funk
Music: Daniel Mescher, Brad Turner
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Additional producers: Jo Erickson, Luis Antonio Perez, Gary Hardcastle
Illustrator: Jonell Joshua

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

OnSomething.org
On Twitter: @COPublicRadio

In 2012, Fred Harris watched legalization pass him by from a prison cell in Colorado. Despite being the first state to legalize recreational cannabis, the law didn't account for people like Fred, who were still serving cannabis-related sentences. That meant getting out of prison would be no easy feat -- even after his son, Arzelle Lewis, called in celebrities and NBA stars to help plead his dad's case.

This story is Part 5 of 8 in a series called Fair Shake, about what drug laws and the cannabis business can teach us about social equity in the U.S.

Written and reported by Ann Marie Awad
Additional Reporting: Allan Tellis, Rebekah Romberg
Lead producers: Luis Antonio Perez
Editor: Dennis Funk
Music: Daniel Mescher, Brad Turner
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Additional production: Jo Erickson
Illustrator: Jonell Joshua

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

OnSomething.org
On Twitter: @COPublicRadio

Psychedelics are more than just cutting edge -- they're trendy. Whether it's tech workers micro dosing LSD in Silicon Valley, or Gwyneth Paltrow discussing ayahuasca on her Netflix show, there is a cultural fixation on psychedelics beyond the breakthroughs being made in the lab. But Charlotte James and Dre Wright are working to remind people that these are not just medicines, but sacred medicines, used for centuries by Indigenous people -- who are now in danger of being written out of the next chapter of psychedelic history.

This story is Part 6 of 8 in a series called Fair Shake, about what drug laws and the cannabis business can teach us about social equity in the U.S.

Written and reported by Ann Marie Awad
Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg
Editors: Dennis Funk, Jo Erickson
Music: Daniel Mescher, Brad Turner
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Additional production: Luis Antonio Perez
Illustrator: Jonell Joshua

Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.

OnSomething.org
On Twitter: @COPublicRadio