Ben & Jerry’s launches campaign against racial inequality in the U.S. cannabis industry

Iconic ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s took advantage of this year’s 4/20 festivities to launch a campaign last Friday bringing attention to the racial inequalities associated with cannabis-related arrests.

“On 4/20, let’s be blunt about justice,” says the headline of the campaign’s page, which asks Congress to expunge records and provide pardons or amnesty to those convicted of cannabis possession. “Between 2001 and 2010, there were more than 8 million pot arrests (88% for possession),” reads the campaign text.

“During that time, a Black person was 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person. Since then, in states that have legalized cannabis, arrests, as you’d expect, have gone [down]. Unfortunately, legalization hasn’t done anything to change the racial disparities.”

The company also posted a video to Twitter detailing the disparity between how white and black communities are treated with regards to cannabis use and legalization. “It’s hard to celebrate 4/20 when so many people of color are still being arrested for pot. We have to do better,” they tweeted.

The page also notes that in Alaska, a Black person is 10 times more likely to be arrested on a cannabis-related charge; in Colorado, three times more likely; in Washington, four times more likely; and in New York, eight times more likely.

The petition, linked to the campaign page, has garnered 33,155 signatures as of Monday morning.