The University of Colorado’s Board of Regents is starting an independent investigation into Regent Wanda James, a dispensary owner, due to her efforts to cut state funding for a campaign aimed at educating youth about the risks of high-potency marijuana. This investigation follows James’s public criticisms of the imagery used in the campaign, which she labeled as racist.
James, the first Black dispensary owner in the country and the first Black female regent at CU in decades, expressed that the investigation feels like a “public lynching” meant to damage her reputation. She emphasized that the $6 billion university system should not be promoting harmful stereotypes about Black families and drug use. “For a $6 billion university system to put out images like that was hurtful to the community and wrong on every level,” James stated.
The investigation was announced by CU Board of Regents Chair Callie Rennison and Vice Chair Ken Montera, who believe that James’s actions warrant examination to determine if she breached her fiduciary and legal responsibilities to the university. “To campaign against our campuses getting money is something we think needs to be looked at,” Rennison commented in an interview.
The controversy began in January when James raised concerns about visuals in a state-funded marijuana education program called “The Tea on THC,” produced by the Colorado School of Public Health at CU’s Anschutz Medical Campus. The campaign included illustrations of a Black mother, child, and teenager suffering from the repercussions of the mother’s marijuana use.
James criticized these illustrations, stating, “In that imagery, they used every racial trope of Black people. That we have cognitive dissonance, inability to control our impulses. They used caricatures of Black people to emphasize whatever it is they were supposed to be doing public service for. These images were disgusting.”
After James communicated her concerns to university leaders on January 26, the offensive images were removed the next day, as both Regent James and the Board agreed that they were insensitive. The CU Anschutz officials chose not to comment further, deferring to the Board of Regents.
In addition to seeking the removal of the campaign, James expressed a desire for the remaining funds to be redirected toward grants for marijuana business owners who qualify for social equity licenses. These licenses are awarded to individuals in the cannabis industry from marginalized communities in Colorado.
