Millions in reparations money remain unused as Baltimore officials battle over who gets control, according to a local report.
The Baltimore Beat reported that the $35 million in revenue from the recreational cannabis tax has not reached residents yet due to infighting between City Hall and the Community Reinvestment and Reparations Commission, a 17-member body established in November 2024 to oversee how the funds are distributed.
Since Maryland legalized recreational cannabis three years ago, “not a single dollar has reached the people it was meant to help, and the first round of funding may still be a year away,” the report said.
WHAT THE FIRST FEDERAL CHALLENGE TO A LOCAL REPARATIONS PROGRAM MEANS FOR OTHER CITIES
“The City Hall says the mayor has final say, while commissioners maintain the body was created to independently manage the funds,” the Beat reported.
“That holdup means that while Maryland’s legalization of cannabis in 2023 led to over $1.1 billion in sales over the following year alone, even as Black communities continue to be targeted by the drug war, none of it has helped repair that damage,” the article explained.
The state used some of the funds to cover dental care, after-school programs and early childhood screenings.
The revenue was intended to reinvest in communities affected by the war on drugs, an initiative pushed by President Richard Nixon in 1971 to curb illegal drug use, production, and trafficking through hyper-policing, harsh sentencing and increased law enforcement.
ILLINOIS CITY DENIED MOTION TO DISMISS LAWSUIT AGAINST REPARATIONS PROGRAM
Maryland officials sought to address some of the harm caused by the war on drugs by directing 35% of cannabis tax revenue to communities impacted by decades of cannabis being outlawed. Additionally, local jurisdictions were required to establish a commission to manage the distribution of the funds.
“Essentially, the War on Drugs never actually targeted narcotics,” said community activist Ray Kelly, per the Beat. “It targeted the entire community where narcotics were sold.”
The Beat was told by the commission that City Hall allocated over $5 million without authorization.
REPARATIONS ADVOCATES PUSH FOR PAYMENTS TO BLACK AMERICANS DESPITE BUDGET AND LEGAL CHALLENGES
Commissioner Khalilah M. Harris reportedly said that the city has allocated over $5 million that “the commission did not authorize.”
“Howard disputed that characterization and said that the city designated the Office of Equity and Civil Rights to administer the $5 million in support of the commission’s work, including staffing and outreach,” the Beat reported.
Neither City Hall nor the commission immediately responded to Fox News Digital‘s request for comment.
Baltimore will follow several states and local municipalities looking to implement reparations to some degree. Many have proposed compensation to rectify historical harms to Black Americans, including those affected by slavery.
This would not be the first time a city has used cannabis tax revenue to fund reparations efforts. Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, was the first to pay Black residents in reparations to cover housing expenses using revenue from cannabis taxes.
