“The Racial Disparity Increased Considerably Over The Evaluated Period, Even Though Blacks And Whites Use Marijuana At Similar Rates”

The problem with CNN giving a dum-dum like Don Lemon a microphone is that words matter, and when he announces to American viewers that Ferguson smells like marijuana “obviously,” he’s reinforcing a racial stereotype that plays out with real consequences. From the Economist:

“DC is only the most extreme example of a national trend. Smoking pot is fairly common, even though it remains illegal in most parts of the country. Around a fifth of 18-to-25 year-olds have taken a hit in the past month. But while the effects of the drug are more or less the same for all tokers, the punishments are not. In all regions of the country, black people were nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession, on average, than white people between 2001 and 2010, according to the ACLU. The racial disparity increased considerably over the evaluated period, even though blacks and whites use marijuana at similar rates.  

The costs of these arrests, prosecutions and convictions are heady. Marijuana possession charges make up nearly half of all drug arrests. States spent over $3.61 billion combined enforcing them in 2010. But the collateral damage may be even dearer. Drug arrests break up homes and potentially harm whole communities. Convictions often affect a person’s eligibility for jobs, student financial aid and public housing. The fact that whites often use marijuana without legal consequence while blacks must worry about getting arrested naturally breeds mistrust of police officers, and of the criminal justice system as a whole.”