The Cannabis Project: A Photo Series Showcasing The Real People Affected By The Politics

Erica Brown’s foundational photo series, The Cannabis Project, captures people’s relationship with the plant. Her snapshots are reminders of the people behind the politics, and give voices to those who’ve been silenced, criminalized and stereotyped.

Each subject holds a lone statement, and in those few words encapsulates the struggles of so many.

Take 22-month-old Gabriel with Dravet syndrome, for example, whose mother holds a sign that reads: “Cannabis should be my first option. NOT my last resort.”

Dravet syndrome is often defined as a severe seizure disorder, though its symptoms affect other organs in the body. Cannabis treatments have been shown to reduce the amount of seizures, while also having the potential to stop them in their tracks. For this reason, many parents of children with epilepsy (and a host of other illnesses such as Crohn's disease) desperately seek cannabis-based treatments. However, these parents must break the law to do so.

Of course, adults are also known to use cannabis to treat conditions like fibromyalgia, cancer and PTSD. But, when a patient is also the parent, they can be deemed unfit in the eyes of the law. For this reason, Dawn, 49, holds up a sign that reads: “No child should be taken over a plant.”

These subjects are among the 80 participants photographed by Brown and fellow photographers Mike Wise and Amy King. The campaign has grown to include patients who have photographed themselves as well.

Overall, the project is intended to showcase the real people affected by legalization (or lack thereof).

“When something turns into a big political battle, we tend to forget that there are real people behind it being affected, that people are actually dying because of a lack of access,” said Brown in the article. “I like to think this campaign brings real people right to those politicians.”