The 2020 Cannabis Referendum: Māori Voter Support, Racialized Policing, and the Criminal Justice System

In the New Zealand 2020 cannabis referendum, 50.7% of all voters rejected the creation of a legally-regulated cannabis market and instead supported retaining the current prohibitionist policy. Although the referendum failed to pass, a majority of Māori voted in favor of cannabis law reform. This paper suggests that within the Māori community there is a more nuanced appreciation of the impact of policing cannabis. Māori perceive that greater harm is caused by the racialized policing of cannabis than by the usage of it. Following McCreanor, et al. (2014), this paper employs a thematic, content analysis of the New Zealand Herald’s coverage of the 2020 cannabis referendum to investigate the presence of race-based targeting/policing in discussions of the legislation. The results reveal that racial disparities emerged as secondary to framing both the impact of cannabis and the referendum as race-neutral and affecting everyone in society equally. This paper argues that the impact of the policing of this particular drug impacts Māori differently, wherein they bear the brunt of racialized policing. Thus, Māori possess a more sophisticated understanding that warrants consideration because it is inextricably linked to lived experiences of policing that differ from wider social narratives of policing and drug policy in New Zealand. &nbsp

The Advancement of Thug Criminology: Towards the Decolonization of ‘Street/Gang’ Research and Pedagogy

This paper presents a dialectical conversation between an insider/outsider vs insider/insider gang researcher, wherein a new criminology is advanced - Thug Criminology. In challenging current disciplinary accounts, we argue that: a) gang research has largely reinforced, maintained, and reified stereotypical views of ‘gangs’ and their behaviour; b) insider/insider gang researcher voices have not been privileged within academia; and c) those posited as ‘expert’ gang scholars, and whose knowledges have been accorded authority, are outsiders. As such, laws and practices, which negatively affect gang-involved populations, have been largely informed by an uncritical and unchallenged position of privilege. Thug Criminology seeks to create an academic space for insider ‘gang’ or street scholars to contribute to knowledge, policies, and practices that are less harmful to those who are targeted and deemed a threat

The Criminalization of the Cannabis Plant: Decolonizing the Harmful Enforcement

The paper examines the history and current state of cannabis-related laws and enforcement and argues for reformed policies. The history of cannabis laws has been used to control, punish, and oppress marginalized groups of people and reinforce the power structures that were established during colonial rule. The discriminatory policies have disproportionately especially hurt Black, Brown, and Indigenous people with harsh punishment for those who use the cannabis plant which has various medicinal, social, religious, cultural, and textile uses. The strict laws that criminalize cannabis harm society by enforcing an environment that empowers violent organized crime groups and pharmaceutical companies who profit off cannabis being illegal. Cannabis reform including decriminalization and legalization may be a viable option for many nations to consider as a harm reduction strategy

Unearthing Justices: Mapping 500+ Indigenous Grassroots Initiatives for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit+

In the face of an ongoing colonial violence across the land now known as Canada, Indigenous families and communities of the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit+ (MMIWG2S+) continue to navigate and mobilize in response to a criminal justice system that has long ignored and neglected the murders and disappearances. The Unearthing Justices Resource Collection is an unfinished collection of more than 500 documentation of these grassroots initiatives. The powerful and transformative community care initiatives, as documented in the 500+ grassroots initiatives demonstrate the resource, skill and strength that already exists in Indigenous communities. It also highlights the many facets of what justice is and needs, beyond what a criminal justice system can provide. Using a justice mapping approach, this article traces the varied approaches to justice in the absence of criminal justice support

Walking while brown: A Critical Commentary on the New Zealand Police Extra-Legal Photographing and Surveillance of Rangatahi Māori

A Critical Commentary on the New Zealand Police Extra-Legal Photographing and Surveillance of Rangatahi Māor

Reflections on Decolonization and X_aaydaG_a Tll Yahda TllG_uhlG_a: a Haida Justice System

In this article, I present an overview of findings from research into the formation of a self-determined Haida Tll yahda justice system. I briefly examine the imposition of colonial governance, justice, and ways of being on suppressing Haida ways of life. Through a series of semi-structured interviews, I addressed the following research questions: What does justice mean to the Haida? How could Haida conceptions of justice be implemented in the modern day? In this paper, I focus on two themes; namely, building capacity for Tll yahda and establishing Tll yahda. The results of this research illuminate the importance of continued decolonization. Reinstituting self- determined justice through a Haida Tll yahda system is possible, while also offering important considerations for decolonization and ensuring Canada is held accountable