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PUFF, PUFF, PASS

The Effect of Racial Prejudice on White Americans’ Attitudes towards Marijuana Legalization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2020

Jason P. Smith  and
David M. Merolla
Jason P. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Wayne State University
David M. Merolla*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Wayne State University
*
Corresponding author: David M. Merolla, 656 W. Kirby, room 2253; Wayne State University, Detroit, MI48202. E-mail: dmerolla@wayne.edu
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Abstract

This research aims to enhance our understanding of the relationship between racial prejudice and White Americans’ views on cannabis legalization. The recent legalization of recreational cannabis in a handful of states, along with many other states legalizing medical cannabis in recent years, has catapulted the flowering plant back into the spotlight and nightly news cycles. Given the historically racist propaganda used to criminalize the plant, it follows that Whites’ support for legalization may be associated with racial prejudice. Using data from the General Social Survey data from 1972–2018, we find that different forms of racial prejudice have a negative effect on Whites’ support for cannabis legalization generally. Additionally, as the negative effect of overt, old-fashioned racism diminishes over time and across birth cohorts it is supplanted by the more subtle laissez-faire racism. In conclusion, we discuss the implication of the relationship between racial prejudice and views on marijuana for the increasingly complicated racial dynamics surrounding cannabis legalization.

Keywords

Old-Fashioned RacismLaissez-Faire RacismRacial PrejudiceMarijuana LegalizationPublic OpinionLongitudinal Analysis
Type
State of the Art
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , Spring 2020 , pp. 189 - 206
Copyright
© 2020 Hutchins Center for African and African American Research

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