Exploring Black civil society perspectives of drug decriminalization reforms in the Baltimore context: a participatory action qualitative study
Drug decriminalization is gaining recognition in academic and policy settings as an intervention to address the increasingly volatile drug crisis and achieve racially equitable drug policy reform in the United States. However, few studies elicit grassroots perspectives of Black communities most affe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Critical Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09581596.2025.2532628 |
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| author | Natalie Flath Lawrence Grandpre Corey Shdaimah Judith Park Jordan J. White Brook Kearley |
| author_facet | Natalie Flath Lawrence Grandpre Corey Shdaimah Judith Park Jordan J. White Brook Kearley |
| author_sort | Natalie Flath |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drug decriminalization is gaining recognition in academic and policy settings as an intervention to address the increasingly volatile drug crisis and achieve racially equitable drug policy reform in the United States. However, few studies elicit grassroots perspectives of Black communities most affected by legal change. This study explored the perspectives of Black civil society stakeholders on drug decriminalization to inform policy. From 2021 to 2022, racial justice policy advocates and university-based researchers conducted a participatory qualitative study, interviewing twelve key stakeholders a part of culturally responsive, Black-led efforts addressing drug-related harms at the grassroots level in Baltimore City, Maryland. A rapid qualitative analysis revealed that current decriminalization proposals overlook the structural harms of decades of drug criminalization and do not reflect the values that ground communities’ responses to heal and become architects of the solution. Stakeholders recommended the incorporation of financial reparations and investment into a community-led support system that includes Black-owned businesses, harm reduction organizations, and psychospiritual care initiatives. For decriminalization to be effective in urban U.S. contexts, this study emphasizes the need for reforms to be community-led and inclusive of larger U.S. racial justice policy priorities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-28d7c458533e4f0a976e84df50c5afe3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0958-1596 1469-3682 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Critical Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-28d7c458533e4f0a976e84df50c5afe32025-08-20T03:56:42ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCritical Public Health0958-15961469-36822025-12-0135110.1080/09581596.2025.2532628Exploring Black civil society perspectives of drug decriminalization reforms in the Baltimore context: a participatory action qualitative studyNatalie Flath0Lawrence Grandpre1Corey Shdaimah2Judith Park3Jordan J. White4Brook Kearley5Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USALeaders of a Beautiful Struggle, Baltimore, MD, USAUniversity Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD, USAUniversity Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD, USASchool of Social Work, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USAUniversity Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD, USADrug decriminalization is gaining recognition in academic and policy settings as an intervention to address the increasingly volatile drug crisis and achieve racially equitable drug policy reform in the United States. However, few studies elicit grassroots perspectives of Black communities most affected by legal change. This study explored the perspectives of Black civil society stakeholders on drug decriminalization to inform policy. From 2021 to 2022, racial justice policy advocates and university-based researchers conducted a participatory qualitative study, interviewing twelve key stakeholders a part of culturally responsive, Black-led efforts addressing drug-related harms at the grassroots level in Baltimore City, Maryland. A rapid qualitative analysis revealed that current decriminalization proposals overlook the structural harms of decades of drug criminalization and do not reflect the values that ground communities’ responses to heal and become architects of the solution. Stakeholders recommended the incorporation of financial reparations and investment into a community-led support system that includes Black-owned businesses, harm reduction organizations, and psychospiritual care initiatives. For decriminalization to be effective in urban U.S. contexts, this study emphasizes the need for reforms to be community-led and inclusive of larger U.S. racial justice policy priorities.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09581596.2025.2532628Decriminalizationstructural racismhealth equityantiracist public health practiceparticipatory action researchdrug policy |
| spellingShingle | Natalie Flath Lawrence Grandpre Corey Shdaimah Judith Park Jordan J. White Brook Kearley Exploring Black civil society perspectives of drug decriminalization reforms in the Baltimore context: a participatory action qualitative study Critical Public Health Decriminalization structural racism health equity antiracist public health practice participatory action research drug policy |
| title | Exploring Black civil society perspectives of drug decriminalization reforms in the Baltimore context: a participatory action qualitative study |
| title_full | Exploring Black civil society perspectives of drug decriminalization reforms in the Baltimore context: a participatory action qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Black civil society perspectives of drug decriminalization reforms in the Baltimore context: a participatory action qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Black civil society perspectives of drug decriminalization reforms in the Baltimore context: a participatory action qualitative study |
| title_short | Exploring Black civil society perspectives of drug decriminalization reforms in the Baltimore context: a participatory action qualitative study |
| title_sort | exploring black civil society perspectives of drug decriminalization reforms in the baltimore context a participatory action qualitative study |
| topic | Decriminalization structural racism health equity antiracist public health practice participatory action research drug policy |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09581596.2025.2532628 |
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