Why People of Color Should Support the Legalization of Marijuana
Marijuana arrests are one of the biggest contributors to the mass incarceration of men of color. The above info-graphic shows that although smoking weed is more popular than ever among all races, the people arrested for it are overwhelmingly black. In Chicago 86% of those convicted for the possession of Marijuana were Black men, in Washington DC, 91% of marijuana charges were filed against Black people.
The above video captures the heartbreaking story of a beloved school teacher who lost his job after being falsely accused for possessing a small roach a police officer picked up off the ground. According to the ACLU’s original analysis, marijuana arrests now account for over half of all drug arrests in the United States. Of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88% were for simply having marijuana. Nationwide, the arrest data revealed one consistent trend: significant racial bias. Despite roughly equal usage rates, Blacks are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana.
If legalizing marijuana means less people of color being herded into prisons by the thousands, then I’m behind it 100%