Legalization Nation with Brian Brown

Speaking Freely With the ACLU-PA

It's 4/20! What was once a day of counter-cultural actions has gone mainstream. But we recognize it, nonetheless, especially since there are still big issues to tackle in cannabis policy, including the fact that upwards of 20,000 people are arrested per year for marijuana possession in Pennsylvania, disproportionately Black Pennsylvanians. In this episode, we hear from Brian Brown, a cartoonist based in Philadelphia and the creator of the comic strip Legalization Nation, which is a syndicated documentary comic that delves into news stories related to cannabis. In our conversation, Brian talks about his own history as a consumer, including being arrested as a teen; why being a registered medical marijuana patient in Pennsylvania has radicalized him; and how his cartoons make these policy debates accessible for readers. Brian has written and illustrated several books, including the New York Times best seller Andre the Giant: Life and Legend and Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America, which tells the history of marijuana prohibition. Find Brian's work online at boxbrown.com and on Twitter and Instagram with the handle [at]boxbrown.