Due to recent events, cannabis consulting company Quantum 9, digs into the facts on marijuana arrests and race. What they found is interesting, let’s take a look.
Racial Disparities in Marijuana Arrests
Although the laws on marijuana are changing, these arrests are still very widespread. With that in mind, marijuana arrests among black people are much higher. Also, the police arrest Black people 3.6 times more than white people.
Although Black people have a higher arrest rate, national survey data shows that people of all races use drugs at the same rate. This is a concern to the public. Plus, drug arrests can harm employment, housing, and educational opportunities.
Now that we are aware of the large gap in these arrests, let’s look at some other marijuana facts.
To begin with, states in where cannabis is illegal tend to have much higher arrest rates. On the contrary, states that have legal laws have the lowest arrest rates. Also, decriminalized states have lower rates. Although these rates are lower, arrest rates are still 8 times higher within decriminalized states in comparison to legal states. Regardless to the legal status of the state, there is still a difference in marijuana arrests and race.
George Floyd Incident
With recent events, it is important for Quantum 9 to look at the statistics within the county of George Floyds’ death. George Floyd’s arrest took place in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
If you thought 3.6 was a high number, take a look at the facts within the county in Minnesota. Within this county, the police arrest Black people 7 times more than white people. On top of that, the people within this county are mostly white.
Take a look at this info graph for a better visual representation.
As you can see, the population and arrests within marijuana arrests have a large gap. Minnesota decriminalized marijuana in 1976. Although the marijuana law changed, the police still arrest Black people for marijuana 5.4 times more than white people.
Do Marijuana Arrests Still Affect People?
Yes. To begin with, marijuana arrests affect Black and Latino communities the most. For example, authorities arrest 46.9 percent of Black or Latino people for drug law violations. This number is high, as only 31.5 percent of the U.S population is Black or Latino.
Also, over 200,000 people have lost federal financial aid because of these arrests. Something like this can affect the course of ones’ life. As one can see, it is important to look at the facts with marijuana and race.
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