Not So Dope: Minorities Arrested At Higher Rates For Marijuana-Related Crimes Than White People In The US

By Reagan Hughes JRN-100 News Staff
November 28th, 2023
Multiple studies find that African Americans are arrested at higher rates than their white
counterparts, despite consuming cannabis at similar rates.
Multiple states in the U.S. have legalized or decriminalized marijuana. Most recently Ohio
legalized the recreational use of the drug in November. Yet, despite successful legalization
efforts, Black people are continually arrested at higher rates.
Dr. Katherine Niell-Harris, a professor and drug policy expert at Rice University, first noticed
racial disparities in cannabis policies when she was studying prison populations.
According to Racial Disparity in Marijuana, Black people were 30.2% of cannabis-related arrests
in Texas, despite being 12.9% of the state’s population.
Recent studies, such as Racial Equity in Cannabis Policy: Diversity in the Massachusetts Adult-
Use Industry at 18 months have also found that despite legalization and decriminalization, Black
people are still discriminated against when it comes to cannabis laws and working in the
industry.
According to the study, “As of April 2020, racial/ethnic and gender diversity in Massachusetts
adult-use cannabis market was 75% white, 7% Latino, 6% Black/African American, similar to the
state labor market, and 65% male”.
“We have also seen disparity within other aspects of legalization in terms of who gets business
licenses to operate dispensaries and profit off of that”, said Niell-Harris.
This is something that used to be a shock to Neill-Harris at the beginning of her career.
“The stickiness of the racial inequities I would say has been the most surprising, though I’m not
surprised by it anymore,” said Neill-Harris

Despite the inequity being present, its roots are not very clear. It is also more difficult to track
the origin of racial disparity with cannabis, as it was only legalized recreationally in 2012 by
Colorado as stated by Racial Disparity in Marijuana.
“If you look at Washington and Colorado, those are two of the states where have the most data
because they have been legal the longest," said Neill-Harris.
Between the two states, Washington has a more severe case of racial disparity.
“The racial disparities in Washington were more than in Colorado. We don’t know why that is
exactly," said Neill-Harris.
Despite not having much research, efforts are being made to see if there are regional
differences in racial disparity with marijuana arrests.
“We’re working on a study right now to look at what local factors might drive up arrest rates,"
said Neill-Harris.
The 2018 Farm Bill which legalized hemp at the federal level, has also decreased cannabis-
related arrests as a whole, but the disparity remains the same according to Racial Disparity in
Marijuana.
“One reason for that is 2018 hemp was legalized at the federal level and several states followed
suit with their bills that legalized hemp," said Neill-Harris.
The issue is nothing new, as Niell-Harris described how deep the racial disparity goes.
“This is why I say it's systemic, we have these long deep-seeded problems to address,” said
Neill-Harris.
And these problems have had long-lasting consequences for the communities affected. The
mass incarceration caused a rise in single-parent households.
“Kids grew up in more fractured homes. Then they grow up and it's this kind of cycle”, said Niell-
Harris.
This issue is deeply rooted and complex, fixing it will take time - but it is not impossible.
“One thing we should be doing is reinvesting in these communities that have been especially
harmed by drug war policies. And involving these communities in deciding how to revitalize their
neighborhoods," said Neill-Harris.

Another perspective is an 18-year-old freshman at Stonehill College Sydney Guiliano. Guiliano
was a part of her town's Clinton, Connecticut, anti-drug program. While working with the
program, Guiliano learned about cannabis policy in the U.S.
Guiliano’s town of Clinton has had instances of racial inequity, as seen in Racial Disparities in
Data Prompt Introspection, Call for Community Involvement by Clinton Police. The article
reveals that Black and Hispanic individuals were pulled over at higher rates than white people.
Guiliano noticed the legal disparities in Clinton and wanted to make a change within her
community.
“Ever since I was in middle school, there was this club that I was in called REACT (Real Events
Affect Clinton Teens). It’s a very informational anti-drug, leadership, and anti-bullying group,"
said Guiliano
As Guiliano progressed with the REACT organization, she sought more leadership roles and
began working for the organization.
“In 2021, I went to Washington D.C with the group. We had to go to different conferences and
different activities. We got to speak with some of the legislators in Connecticut, " said Guiliano.
Guilaino learned a lot about how legislators go about laws, especially cannabis-related laws.
“I learned that this is not something that can happen overnight. It takes a lot of work and time to
make a change, as we have seen with marijuana," said Guiliano.
During this time, Guiliano was only 16-years-old.
“It was weird because we were all sitting there, looking at the computer, and talking to these
people and saying how we felt about certain laws and marijuana," said Guiliano.
Guiliano described the legislators as not being very reactive to her and her fellow REACT
members' ideas concerning these laws.
“They could not promise there would be any change, it felt like we were talking to an everyday
adult, but we weren’t, these people have a lot of power," said Guiliano.
Guiliano referenced how cannabis policy was a large topic of conversation with the legislators.
She wanted to see a change in substance abuse and racial disparity within Clinton.
“We mentioned how it affects people in our town (Clinton, Connecticut) and our school. The
changes we wanted to see”, said Guiliiano
.

There is still more to be learned about the disparity, as there are efforts to find out more about
the issue.
“The racial disparities in Washington were more than in Colorado. We don’t know why that is
exactly”, said Neill-Harris.
Despite not having much research, efforts are being made to see if there are regional
differences in racial disparity with marijuana arrests.
“We’re working on a study right now to look at what local factors might drive up arrest rates”,




said Neill-Harris https://youtu.be/H13duotQm3U