My First Cannabis Rally
By Dr. Amanda Reiman
I began to consider myself a drug reform activist during grad school. Living in Chicago and working on my master’s degree in social work in 2000, I was learning about the social injustices of the drug war. The crack/cocaine sentencing disparity laws, the collateral sanctions for drug offenses and the racial disparities in drug arrests, especially cannabis, the most widely used illicit substance, were all components of my education, and my outrage.
The author at a cannabis rally circa 2012
At the time, cannabis was still very illegal in Chicago, and, as a result, the opportunities for activism were scarce. I remember attending a “Hemp Fest” in 2001 by Lake Michigan. The event was heavily attended by police and people were afraid to show favoritism towards legalization, let alone consume. I had a passion for changing the laws, but no outlet to do so. Then I moved to Oakland.
With a desire to continue my education, I moved to the Bay Area in 2002 to start the PhD program at Berkeley. I had already been involved with Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and immediately joined up with the Berkeley chapter. At the time, doctors were still being prosecuted for recommending cannabis to patients. There was a big rally planned in Sacramento with SSDP and the newly formed Americans for Safe Access. The plan was to march on the capitol in support of doctors like Tod Mikuriya, Dave Bearman, Jeff Hergenrather, and Frank Lucido. These physicians were risking their freedom and their careers in the name of safe access. I had never been to a rally before. I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, on that day, with a school bus parked in front of Sproul Plaza, I found that I had been an activist all along.
An introverted person, I was never one to walk up to strangers, let alone try and compel them to do something. But, as I stood on the plaza that day, something was different. My desire to make change was stronger than my social awkwardness. I found myself walking up to every student who passed by and trying to convince them to get on the bus and come with us. I said to them, “You are at BERKELEY! This is why you came here! To make change in the world!” I was successful at convincing a dozen or so to come along and a few hours later we were in Sacramento, marching, chanting, and waving signs. That is the day that my activism turned into action. And I never looked back.
