in part:
The report also finds that, on average, a Black person is 3.73 times more likely to be
arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Blacks and whites
use marijuana at similar rates. Such racial disparities in marijuana possession arrests
exist in all regions of the country, in counties large and small, urban and rural, wealthy
and poor, and with large and small Black populations.
Indeed, in over 96% of counties
with more than 30,000 people in which at least 2% of the residents are Black, Blacks are
arrested at higher rates than whites for marijuana possession.
The report concludes that the War on Marijuana, like the larger War on Drugs of which
it is a part, is a failure. It has needlessly ensnared hundreds of thousands of people in
the criminal justice system, had a staggeringly disproportionate impact on AfricanAmericans,
and comes at a tremendous human and financial cost. The price paid by
those arrested and convicted of marijuana possession can be significant and linger for
years, if not a lifetime. Arrests and convictions for possessing marijuana can negatively
impact public housing and student financial aid eligibility, employment opportunities,
child custody determinations, and immigration status.
Further, the War on Marijuana has been a fiscal fiasco. The taxpayers’ dollars that law enforcement agencies waste
enforcing marijuana possession laws could be better spent on addressing and solving
serious crimes and working collaboratively with communities to build trust and increase
public health and safety. Despite the fact that aggressive enforcement of marijuana laws
has been an increasing priority of police departments across the country, and that states
have spent billions of dollars on such enforcement, it has failed to diminish marijuana’s
use or availability.
https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/aclu-thewaronmarijuana-rel2.pdf
DO SOMETHING!
| 
