Marijuana Arrests in California Target Blacks and Latinos

[The Straight Story]

Marijuana Arrests in California Target Blacks and Latinos

California is not the place to be for Latinos and African-Americans who use marijuana. In city after city, these two minorities have been subject to disproportionately high levels of arrest and prosecution, according to studies produced by the Drug Policy Alliance, the California NAACP and the William C. Velasquez Institute.

From 2006-2008, blacks were arrested for marijuana possession in California’s 25 largest cities at four, five, six, seven and even 12 times the rate of whites. For Latinos, the arrest rate was twice to three times that of whites in California’s 33 largest cities.

In the city of Los Angeles, blacks were arrested for marijuana possession at seven times the rate of whites. In Pasadena, blacks make up 11% of the population, but 49% of the people arrested for possession of marijuana. In the state’s capital, Sacramento, blacks account for 14% of the population, but 51% marijuana arrests.

In San Jose, where Latinos are 31% of the population, they accounted for 54% of those arrested for having marijuana.

http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/Marijuana_Arrests_in_California_Target_Blacks_and_Latinos_101102