Racial Disparity In Cannabis Arrests
With the increasing number of states that are seeing the legalization of marijuana become a reality, you’d think that we’d see a fall in convictions across the board. Sadly, marijuana-related searches and arrests still continue to happen throughout the country, and people of color are targeted more than any other. It would seem that while the drug is no longer illegal, being a minority in America clearly still is, at least unofficially. Even though black and white people use marijuana at similar rates, a Black person is 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person.
ACLU Studies Reveal A Standing Problem
The ACLU recently published two reports created by research teams at New York and Stanford Universities. These reports revealed the results of their analysis of separate sets of data regarding police arrests and marijuana. Both sets of data revealed the same trend. People of color were disproportionately targeted for marijuana-related violations, even in states where marijuana was legal for medical and/or recreational purposes.
It’s Not A Conservative State Problem
The study covered 50 state patrol agencies in these areas, with data pulled from over 100 million individual traffic stops over a seven-year period from 2011-2018. One would assume that these numbers would be from states where conservatives ruled the roost, but results from two notably liberal states didn’t support this. Colorado and Washington have generally been recognized for their progressive attitudes, with Colorado rightfully being seen as the forerunner of the legalization movement.
Image courtesy of DISA.com
Legalization Hasn’t Helped Racial Profiling
Overall results demonstrated that being a POC means that you are far more likely to be searched for contraband during a traffic stop. Even in states where recreational use has been legalized the proportion of searches was heavily weighted towards POC. The number of these stops that ended with a misdemeanor or drug infraction was higher as well, even in Colorado and Washington.
How Much Worse Is It?
After thoroughly analyzing the data, it is clear that being black led to almost four times the chance of being arrested for possession. This is reflective of the general way that minorities are treated by authorities throughout the US. In every area of the law, you’ll find that arrests are higher, conviction rates are higher, and sentences stiffer if you happen to have more melanin than is socially acceptable in your skin. Socially acceptable, at least, as far as those in charge of our judiciary system are concerned.
The fight for racial equality and legalization that affects the entire spectrum of American citizens is ongoing. In every county and state across the nation, this struggle continues, and we at Dime Bags stand with BLM and our fellow citizens on this topic. Remember to be an advocate for your fellow cannabis enthusiasts, and doubly so for those who happen to have a little more melanin in their skin than is strictly safe when dealing with the authorities. The fight for an American future that is free of racism, free of bias, and safe for everyone is ongoing. Make sure you let your voice be heard.
Dime Bags finally debuted their two BLM patches as well. Black Lives Matter and No Justice, No Peace will both send all sales to the Black Lives Matter Support Fund at Tides Foundation.