Editor’s Note: Cannabis remains illegal to possess, distribute, sell or grow in the UK – with hefty prison sentences still being handed out. But as legislation relaxes across the West, it’s important to cover the experiences of the African diaspora in regards to cannabis, especially given the relationship between “the war on drugs” and Black communities specifically. The author of this personal essay is based in Canada, where the Cannabis Act of 2018 legalised and regulated the possession and use of cannabis in adults over the age of 18.