The Harm of Marijuana Prohibition

By Terrell Thomas and Andy Hoover

ACLU-PA’s Terrell Thomas (left) and Andy Hoover at last week’s In the Weeds event in Pittsburgh.

The criminalization of marijuana has unnecessarily created a lot of harm, particularly to people of color. That statement may seem obvious. But it was the message that we felt compelled to hammer at an event we attended last week with a few dozen policymakers, students, researchers, scientists, and reporters in Pittsburgh.