Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jun 2013
Source: Times, The (Trenton, NJ)
Copyright: 2013 The Times
Contact:  http://www.nj.com/times/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/458

COLLATERAL DAMAGE IS STAGGERING AS RACIAL DISPARITY OF N.J. MARIJUANA
ARRESTS INCREASE

A disturbing report from the American Civil Liberties Union finds that
blacks are about three times more likely to be arrested on charges of
possessing marijuana in New Jersey than whites. That's despite the
fact that usage rates are comparable among blacks and whites.

Nationally, the likelihood of arrest rises to nearly four times. And
in Mercer County, the chances are greater than that.

"The war on marijuana has disproportionately been a war on people of
color," says one of the authors of the ACLU report (www.aclu.org).
It's impossible to argue that point given the data.

In New Jersey, that "war" accounts for about 43 percent of all drug
arrests. Counting the costs of police work, judicial and legal
expenses and the tab for incarceration, New Jersey spent about $127
million in 2010 to enforce marijuana possession laws.

Altogether, the U.S. spent an estimated $3.61 billion on that
effort.

It's a war that neither the state nor the country appears to be
winning. Yet, as the number of arrests for possession and the racial
disparity of those arrests both increase, the collateral damage is
staggering.

In addition to the tremendous financial costs, the ACLU report points
out, "Arrests and convictions for possessing marijuana can negatively
impact public housing and student financial aid eligibility,
employment opportunities, child custody determinations, and
immigration status."

The report comes at a time when most adults in the U.S. say they favor
the legalization of marijuana. The Pew Research Center found a marked
shift in opinion in just two years. In 2010, 41 percent of those
polled supported legalizing pot for the use of those 21 and older;
last year, 52 percent were in favor.

In New Jersey, where it has taken more than three years to get a
single medical marijuana dispensary of a state-sanctioned six up and
running, we're thoroughly versed in the reality of slow motion.

So let's start slowly with reanimation of a legislative move to
decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal
use. That doesn't mean legalization; possession would still be subject
to a fine but, like a traffic ticket, it would not be a criminal
offense that now carries a punishment of up to a $1,000 fine and six
months in jail.

Gov. Chris Christie has taken the wise and compassionate step of
directing those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses to treatment
instead of a jail cell. Why not extend that sensible approach to the
front end of the system, ending costly arrests for possessing small
amounts of pot?

As the ACLU report illustrates, the law is administered unfairly. For
instance, in Hunterdon County, where more than 90 percent of the
population is white, blacks were five times as likely to be arrested
for possessing marijuana.

Drug kingpins manage to elude arrest; those in possession of a small
amount of pot bear the brunt; and we all pay the costs for a war lost
long ago.
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