Cannabis has come a long way in American culture, traveling a path that has taken it from a demonized drug to a widely accepted — and legalized — medicinal and recreational substance. Florida is one of 40 states along with D.C. that allow medical marijuana use for certain treatments.
Still, cannabis’ popularity has not swayed some who view unregulated marijuana as an impetus to criminal activity, a gateway drug, and a negative impact on the Black community.
Bobby Green is a captain with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, where he has worked for nearly 30 years. He views marijuana use as dangerous, even if it is legal because more people will use it and drive or work while they are impaired. Captain Green has seen lives devastated by marijuana, ranging from violent drug deals to arrests and incarceration for possession to loss of jobs or athletic scholarships for failing drug tests.
He believes the change in attitude toward cannabis has created a false impression that there are not consequences for using it illegally, such as in Florida.
But being arrested for possession of marijuana still poses the risk of criminal prosecution and jail time.
Getting arrested for distributing marijuana is another issue entirely, and Captain Green says law enforcement continues to aggressively target people suspected of selling weed. Street-grade marijuana is much more powerful than it used to be 10 or 20 years ago, and he says if it is laced with fentanyl, it could be deadly.
While medical marijuana use is legal under a qualified physician’s care in Florida, patients can still run into trouble with law enforcement, Captain Green explains.
“If they don't have their registry card or the medical marijuana is not packaged correctly, that can be an arrestable offense,” he warns.
Anthony Durden, a Miami-based street minister and recovered drug addict, says he believes that cultural norms in the Black community have changed with the popularization of cannabis by Black entertainers and sports figures.
“It's hard to convince young people that [marijuana is] harmless when they see their entertainers and athletes celebrate it and when they've been given platforms to promote it,” says Durden, who has been clean and sober for 19 years.
