New Article in Elementa

Hekia Bodwitch, PhD, and I just authored a new article in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene on “Prohibited Commoning.” Stemming from discussions we have had on fisheries and tobacco and the unexpected success of equity-seeking regulations, we were both interested in thinking through the question of what equity, or, in our mind the more powerful language of “emancipation,” would look like in relation to cannabis. To move forward, we argue, does not mean erasing or disqualifying the past. We not only need to repair the harms prohibition caused but we need to recognize and build from the forms of resilience and resourcefulness that people innovated under prohibition. This article explores some of that history and applies it to present debates over equity. It is a continuation of the work we did in our 2020 publication on the grower survey, where we posed some potential avenues to create greater equity and access for cultivators, but we do it here in a decidedly different, ethnographic register and with a sharpened focus on the political causes and implications of legalization. Enjoy. You can access it here!