Post by ck4829 on Oct 9, 2016 11:35:51 GMT
Eight years after Massachusetts voted to decriminalize the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, racial disparities in arrests for marijuana possession have continued, a report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts found, and they disproportionately affect African-Americans.
The report released Thursday found that there were 616 marijuana possession arrests in Massachusetts in 2014 and 1,031 arrests for marijuana sales. The report does not say what, if any, other charges those arrested also faced.
The report, which used FBI crime data from 2014, found that the marijuana possession arrest rate for African-Americans was 3.3 times higher than that for white people.
"Racial disparities are a disturbing feature of our current marijuana policy," ACLU Massachusetts racial justice director Rahsaan Hall said in a statement. "Black people are arrested for marijuana possession at 10 times the rate of white people in some counties - despite the fact Black people and white people use marijuana at the same rate."
www.enterprisenews.com/news/20161007/report-shows-racial-disparity-in-pot-arrests
The report released Thursday found that there were 616 marijuana possession arrests in Massachusetts in 2014 and 1,031 arrests for marijuana sales. The report does not say what, if any, other charges those arrested also faced.
The report, which used FBI crime data from 2014, found that the marijuana possession arrest rate for African-Americans was 3.3 times higher than that for white people.
"Racial disparities are a disturbing feature of our current marijuana policy," ACLU Massachusetts racial justice director Rahsaan Hall said in a statement. "Black people are arrested for marijuana possession at 10 times the rate of white people in some counties - despite the fact Black people and white people use marijuana at the same rate."
www.enterprisenews.com/news/20161007/report-shows-racial-disparity-in-pot-arrests