Politics & Government

Blacks Disproportionately Busted for Pot, ACLU Says

In Illinois, the racial disparity is the fourth largest in the country, according to a report the American Civil Liberties Union released Tuesday.

Written by Editor Chi-an Chang

Even as research shows that blacks and whites use marijuana at the same rate, a nationwide study of law enforcement records has found that on average blacks are almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, according to a report the American Civil Liberties Union released Tuesday.

In Illinois, the racial disparity is the fourth largest in the country, with blacks 7.6 more likely than whites to be arrested for possession of cannabis. Iowa had the largest gaps between blacks and whites for pot arrests, with blacks there 8.3 times more likely than whites to be arrested.

Five Worst Racial Disparities in Pot Arrest in 2010
(Times more likely blacks were arrested)

  1. Iowa - 8.3 times
  2. D.C. - 8 times 
  3. Minnesota - 7.8 times
  4. Illinois - 7.6 times
  5. Wisconsin - 6 times
Cook County Made Most Pot Arrests in 2010
The report also found that Cook County made more marijuana possession arrests than any other county in America in 2010. That year, the county made more than 33,000 pot arrests, or 91 arrests daily, with blacks making up nearly 73 percent of those arrest even though they represent only 25 percent of the county’s population.

Between 2001 and 2010, there were 8 million marijuana arrests in the United States, or one pot arrest every 37 seconds at an annual cost of $3.6 billion, according to the report.

In 2011 Evanston City Council reduced the penalties for pot possession so that any individual found in possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana will not be arrested. Instead, violators will be issued a notice to appear before Evanston’s Division of Administrative Hearings, fined between $50 and $500 and possibly ordered to seek drug counseling.

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