It looks like the fight for federal cannabis legalization has a new major player (back) in the game.
During the 114th NAACP National Convention in July, delegates voted to adopt a resolution renewing its support for federal cannabis legalization, along with a new call to protect the rights of workers in the industry, according to Marijuana Moment. The new position focuses on labor peace agreements and additional employee protections.
The resolution highlights that the majority people in the cannabis industry will be workers, not owners. It says that “the workers who grow, process, test, distribute, and sell cannabis deserve a fair and safe workplace and family-sustaining job like every other worker.”
The resolution also says that adding access to union representation, training and apprenticeship “will help ensure that a broad range of workers can benefit from the cannabis industry, especially workers from communities that have been disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition in the past.”
Delegates adopted the resolution without discussion during the session, which was also used to vote on a variety of other measures.
The measure also highlights how unions and other labor services, like apprenticeships, are linked to diversity in the cannabis industry, promoting participation for people who have been disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs.
Additionally, the measure stated that cannabis legislation should be crafted in a way to ensure all cannabis workers, in all specialty fields, are recognized as employees under the National Labor Relations Act, Fair Labor Standards Act and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This includes workers’ rights to join, form or organize a union.
Speaking about the event as a whole, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson called the Boston conference a “success.”
“We have reaffirmed our commitment to justice and the pursuit of a society where we all thrive together,” Johnson said. “Now that we have devised a comprehensive plan to propel justice forward throughout the year, it is time for us to take the lessons learned back to our communities.”
Regarding the cannabis industry measure, Johnson said it’s important to continue centering Black interests for both workers and entrepreneurs, as one of the ways to right the wrongs Black Americans have faced because of the drug war.
Over the past several years, the cannabis industry has seen exponential growth and prosperity without progress for Black workers. This cannot continue. The NAACP is committed to ensuring that as this industry grows, benefits to Black workers grow with it. That’s what thriving together looks like.“
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) celebrated the move, with International President Marc Perrone calling the action a “crucial step forward” to ensure that cannabis industry employers and legislators alike understand the “profound impact” a worker-friendly cannabis industry can have on people of color.
“Cannabis industry workers, like every other worker, deserve safe workplaces and family-sustaining jobs,” Perrone said. “This is especially true for the formerly incarcerated and others disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs.”
UFCW represents cannabis workers in several states with legal cannabis laws, which Perrone recognized as he acknowledged the “importance of cannabis organizing in achieving racial equity and making sure workers’ voices are heard at every level of the cannabis industry.”
Historically, the NAACP has made a number of pro-cannabis moves. In 2022, the board of directors adopted a resolution calling for immediate passage of a bipartisan cannabis banking bill. The UFCW has similarly been on board, as Legislative and Political Action Department Director Ademola Oyefeso testified at a Senate Banking Hearing in May to advocate for the cannabis banking legislation’s passing back in May.
Similarly, the American Federal of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union in the U.S. representing federal employees, also adopted a resolution in 2022 calling to end penalties for federal workers using cannabis responsibly and off the clock in states where it is legal.
