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Race in America 🌎
The President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (PACAANHPI) published its inaugural report detailing the summaries from six working subcommittees, following the national broadcast this week.
The report details findings on health and equity, language access, belonging and safety, immigration and citizenship status, economic equity and more.
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While many communities may culturally shun the use of marijuana, for Asian Americans, the story is much more complex.
Indian Americans like Nidhi Lucky Handa, who founded Leune, a California-based cannabis company, and Pari Patel, a 25-year-old studying medical cannabis science who created a homegrown cannabis farm, are modern testaments to the reality that cannabis use and cultivation runs deep in their culture.
Cannabis, a plant that holds medicinal properties in both ayurvedic and Unani systems, was widely regarded in Indian literature and mythology. But, today, its worldwide reputation, mainly manufactured from a harsh war on drugs and institutionalized racism, has made communities shun the plant.
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In addition to stigma and cultural biases against mental health discussions in Asian circles, language barriers have also become a roadblock for young adults to talk about their struggles with their parents.
Sometimes, words to describe and translate “depression” or “anxiety” just do not exist.
And, when immigrants prefer to discuss their cases in their native languages, healthcare systems in the U.S. cannot provide those services, which leads to more isolation.
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