David Zuckerman is the Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, and owner/operator of Full Moon Farm, a small, diversified certified organic farm in Northern Vermont. David has long been a proponent of legalizing and regulating the use and sale of cannabis, and we talk about the ins and outs of this issue.
Episode Outline
- The continuum from criminalized to legalized and regulated cannabis
- The distinction between decriminalization and legalization, and goals of regulating cannabis
- The difference between cannabis as a medicine and recreation drug versus industrial hemp
- Cannabis as a coping mechanism, and why people in modern society so depend on coping mechanisms
- Origins of cannabis prohibition in the desire of the paper industry in protecting their investments in forest land
- Racialization of the prohibition of cannabis, particularly with respect to Latinos
- Nixon administration’s use of cannabis prohibition and the War on Drugs to stifle the pursuit of civil rights, American Indian Movement, and the anti-war movement
- How the Trump administration has emboldened the vitriol and hatred that has long been hidden in society
- Broadening the scope of advocacy in cannabis legalization and regulation
- Impacts of cannabis prohibition on those with other criminal infractions
- The apparent impacts of cannabis legalization and regulation in other US states that have pursued it
- How legalization of cannabis can help to reduce opioid use
Links & Resources
- Support A Worldview Apart on Patreon
- Lieutenant Governor’s Website
- Zuckerman for Vermont (Facebook page)
- Full Moon Farm
- This Video Perfectly Breaks Down the History of Weed and Racism (Huffington Post)
- How Black People are Being Shut Out of American’s Weed Boom (Buzz Feed)
- Inside the Fight for Legal Pot in Vermont (Rolling Stone)
Thanks for a thoughtful and intelligent look at this issue.