Image via
In a recent interview with TheGrio, rapper Killer Mike — one-half of the Grammy-award-winning hip hop duo Run The Jewels, champion weed advocate, and all around good guy — spoke about his newest docuseries, “Tumbleweeds” on Vice TV and the state of cannabis in America.
“Americans like getting stoned no matter what race, creed, or ethnicity they are,” Killer Mike told TheGrio.
He’s not wrong. According to a recent census from the CDC, over 48.2 million people used cannabis at least once in 2019. With numbers rising each year and the public opinion on cannabis shifting rapidly, the MC turned host told TheGrio, “It’s not only about smoking marijuana, but it’s about the other benefits of marijuana. It’s about marijuana advocacy. It’s about art installations around the country that enhance the marijuana experience. It’s about small to medium, local businesses and people who own those businesses and participate in cannabis culture.”
With his four-part docuseries, Mike found himself speaking with comedians, members of the cannabis community, and (most importantly) Black and Latinx victims of non-violent cannabis crimes.
“I think that we can better find ways to have a [ownership] pathway for people of color, meaning Black people in particular, and the Spanish people because marijuana was made illegal on their backs. In 1937 when they were prohibiting marijuana use, a lot of racism would use or pertain to Mexican and Black people,” Killer Mike told theGrio. “I think the people that have been charged and convicted of nonviolent marijuana offenses should be the first people allowed an opportunity to be in that business and should be major players in that business.”
By combining humor, enlightenment, and hard-hitting facts, Mike is able to delve deep into our industry in order to showcase both the good and the bad. While Mike believes that many, if not most Americans desire legalization, there are still a handful of states that do not allow medical cannabis. Mike went on to say that, “What I’m finding is that there’s overwhelming support for decriminalization and legalization of marijuana throughout the country, and it feels like a global one as well. But what I’m finding is that politicians still move a lot slower than the public will.”
“Tumbleweeds” is a brilliant canvas that allows viewers to ask why cannabis has been on the fringe of society for so long, and what we can do now to remedy our previous mistakes while having some laughs along the way.
You can watch the four-part Travelogue on Vice TV and its streaming apps.
