Racism in the Austrian CBD Industry

On 4 June 2020, around 50,000 people marched from Vienna’s MQ to Karlsplatz as part of the “Black Lives Matter” demonstration. Their aim? To stand up together against racism and discrimination. The trigger at the time was the brutal murder of the African American George Floyd by the police. Racism is still omnipresent in Austria, too. It ranges from increased police checks to racist jokes and even murder. Racism is often still trivialised or even normalised. In the CBD and cannabis industry, this racism manifests itself above all in the form of stereotyping and “advertising gimmicks” at the expense of those whose lived reality is particularly negatively affected by them. We see ourselves as allies in all struggles for equality and therefore – also – use our platform to raise awareness of this issue.

This topic is as important as it is far-reaching and complex. There are a multitude of racist systems that interlock to this day and thus make life more difficult for BIPoC people. And although we have tried several times to write and structure this blog post, it is clear that one post could never be enough to describe all aspects of racism and discrimination. What we can and want to focus on, however, is racism and cannabis and the connection with the domestic CBD industry.

What do cannabis and racism have to do with each other anyway?

At first glance, the connection between cannabis and racism may not seem so obvious. However, if we take a look into American prisons or listen to people affected by racially motivated police violence, we notice: they are very closely linked.

Although, according to anonymous surveys, cannabis is consumed equally by all population groups in America, 4x as many BIPoC people as white people are in American prisons for drug-related crimes. They are checked by the police more often, receive harsher sentences and are approx. 3x as likely to be killed by fatal police violence. In Austria, people of African origin are disproportionately often victims of police violence. Time and again there are violent assaults and increased identity checks on the grounds of alleged violations of the Suchtmittelgesetz. In most cases, this suspicion is based on little more than the skin colour of those affected.

And what exactly does this have to do with the CBD industry in Austria?

Some of you may now be wondering what all this has to do with the domestic CBD industry. Admittedly, the Austrian CBD industry is not the origin of why BIPoC people experience discrimination. After all, it is far younger than racism in Austria & Germany. And yet it contributes its part: time and again, CBD companies use stereotypical depictions of BIPoC people to advertise their products. This is problematic because the portrayal of BIPoC people in advertising is often very racist. At the same time, in the name of “funny advertising gimmicks”, capital is made out of a stigma, which in turn massively affects the lived reality of those affected and restricts their freedom. We all constantly perceive what is communicated to us in advertising – even if not always consciously. In these cases, the message is clear: BIPoC people take and sell cannabis!

It’s only a joke, isn’t it?

By the way, the whole thing has little to do with humour – even if we often hear feedback like “But come on, take a joke!” or “I’m allowed to make this joke because I’m not racist!”. Unfortunately, in all seriousness: this kind of stereotyping costs some people their lives. So racism is no joke. What is often particularly cynical for those affected is the fact that it is people who are not affected who profit from these jokes. There is a long tradition of saying discriminatory things in the name of humour or of portraying those who cannot laugh about it as spoilsports.

This is where a check-in with yourself can be very helpful: would I find this so funny if I were the person who cannot find work or a flat because the white majority society assumes anyway that I sell drugs? How would I feel if the police kept stopping me on my way home from work – simply because I exist? Or if my friends’ families forbade them from spending time with me because I could be a bad influence, just because of my skin colour?

White people rarely have to ask themselves these questions and hardly experience this kind of negative discrimination. White people also often react very sensitively to this topic because they feel that it is not their fault, or they feel powerless and do not actually want this situation either. If you recognise yourselves here and are now wondering what you can do about it, that is already an important step:

What can we all do against racism?

If you see racist advertising, complain. Either let the company know directly what you think or complain to the Advertising Council. Listen to those affected without trying to deny their experience. Say something when people around you say racist things and try to explain why it is racist. For people who constantly experience discrimination, it is very exhausting and draining to have to explain again and again why something is racist. Try to support businesses run by BIPoC people and follow them on social media. Educate yourselves about the topic and use the vast amount of free resources on the internet. Don’t expect those affected to have to educate you because “it is in their interest, after all”. It is in all our interests to create a world in which everyone feels safe and comfortable.

Here are a few resources available to all of us:

Racism Report by ZARA

@verbuendete_r_sein

@saymyname_bpb

@wasihrnichtseht

Alice Hasters – Was weiße Menschen über Rassismus nicht hören wollen aber wissen sollten

Tupoka Ogette – Exit Racism

You can also find both books for FREE on Spotify!