As Voters Legalize Cannabis, Rev. Charles Boyer Urges Framework That Prioritizes Communities Ripped Apart by Drug War

Boyer: Legislation to legalize must direct new revenue to repair communities of color

November 4, 2020 – Following the approval of New Jersey Public Question 1, the Marijuana Legalization Amendment, Reverend Dr. Charles F. Boyer – founding director of Salvation and Social Justice – released the following statement:

“This amendment has the potential to be a powerful step forward in our fight against the drug war – or it could perpetuate a status quo that continues to oppress communities of color. The path forward is now in our hands.

“We demand that taxes from newly legalized cannabis go to evidenced-based prevention, intervention, and community block grants that can repair the harm done by the drug war to Black and Latinx families. That also means giving communities that have been marginalized a real opportunity to participate in the new statewide market for cannabis. We need to ensure equitable pathways of entry into this market for diverse business owners of all backgrounds, primarily those previously convicted for cannabis distribution. Additionally, the Marijuana Decriminalization Bill S2535 provides the right roadmap that our lawmakers should follow.

“Anything less than a framework that puts our communities first will only enable new methods for more systemic racism – and we refuse to have this happen again. In fact, New Jersey’s drug war and now legalized market is one of the most compelling cases for reparations since slavery, and redlining. I believe people of color convicted of marijuana distribution in our state should be given start-up funds and not taxed for as long as they had been convicted.

“Don’t do this again New Jersey. Don’t tear us down again. Don’t use this platform as another way to marginalize our communities again through another racially unjust system.”– Reverend Dr. Charles F. Boyer, founding director of Salvation and Social Justice

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About Rev. Dr. Charles F. Boyer

The Reverend Dr. Charles Franklin Boyer is a third-generation African Methodist Episcopal preacher. He is the pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Woodbury, New Jersey, and the founder of Salvation and Social Justice, a non-partisan Black faith-rooted organization that believes liberation should precede legislation and prophetic vision should precede public policy.

Dr. Boyer is a leading faith voice in New Jersey for racial justice issues. His advocacy has led to the statewide adoption of racial impact analysis for sentencing, closure of youth prisons, voting rights restoration for people on probation and parole, the independent prosecutor law, and restricting solitary confinement. He works closely with the Black Legislative Caucus and is a co-convener of the United Black Agenda. He is New Jersey’s leading religious figure in the campaign to abolish the drug war, isolated confinement, and the criminalization of Black people.

Rev. Boyer has been recognized as one of New Jersey’s 25 most influential African Americans by the South Jersey Journal, a Game Changer by the NAACP, a Torch Bearer by the ACLU, a Movement Maker by NJ Working Families, and a Community Servant by NJ Citizen Action. He has been recognized by the NJ Work Environment Council and received the Making Democracy Work award by the League of Women Voters. He was named #4 on the “Twenty-Five People to Watch in 2019” by NJ Advanced Media for his work around police accountability and is a 2020 Jefferson Award recipient.