Pubdate: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 Source: Kalamazoo Gazette (MI) Copyright: 2013 Kalamazoo Gazette Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/vggfBDch Website: http://www.mlive.com/kzgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/588 Author: Julie Mack STUDY: BLACKS IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY 8 TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN WHITES TO BE ARRESTED FOR MARIJUANA KALAMAZOO, MI -- African-Americans in Kalamazoo County are 8.5 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession, according to a new study by the American Civil Liberties Union that looked at statistics from 2001 to 2010. Kalamazoo County had one of the largest racial disparities in the state, said the ACLU report, which found that the ratio of black-white arrests for marijuana possession was 3.73 to 1 nationwide and 3.3 to 1 in Michigan. (Report: Blacks in Kent County 7.5 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites) Other studies have shown that whites and blacks use illicit drugs at similar rates. A 2011-12 survey of Kalamazoo County ninth- and 11th-graders by state health officials found that 20.3 percent of black teens had used marijuana in the previous month compared to 18.5 percent of whites. The ACLU study, titled "Black and White: Billions of Dollars Wasted on Racially Biased Arrests," looked at marijuana possession rates nationally by race for all 50 states and at a county level. The study used data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program and the U.S. Census, and calculated the rate of arrests per 100,000 residents in that racial group, which allows for an apples-to-apples comparison of populations despite their size. Among the ACLU's findings about Michigan: The arrest rate for whites in Kalamazoo County matches the state average, while arrest rates for blacks is three times the statewide number. Counties with the greatest racial disparities in arrests were Monroe (15.4 times); St. Clair (10.1 times), Jackson (8.6 times), Kalamazoo (8.5 times) and Kent (7.5 times). In Wayne County, the state's most populous county, blacks were 1.9 times more likely to be arrested. Over the 10-year period studied, the arrest rate for whites declined statewide, from 162 arrests per 100,000 residents in 2001 to 141 in 2010. Meanwhile, the arrest rate for blacks more than doubled, from 214 per 100,000 residents in 2001 to 444 in 2010. 49.6 percent of 2010 arrests in Michigan for drug offenses involved possession of marijuana and Michigan public agencies spent $94.8 million on enforcing marijuana-possession laws that year. Said an ACLU press release accompanying the study. Nationwide, the arrest data reveals a consistent trend: overwhelming racial bias. Despite comparable marijuana usage rates among white people and black people, blacks are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession. In some counties, that disparity rises to more than 15 times more likely. Such racial disparities in marijuana possession arrests exist in all regions of the country, in counties large and small, urban and rural, wealthy and poor, and with large and small black populations. According to the ACLU's original analysis, marijuana arrests now account for around 50 percent of all drug arrests in the US. There were 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88 percent of which were for possession. In 2010, police arrested someone for having marijuana every 41 seconds - leading to hundreds of thousands of people unnecessarily ensnared in our criminal justice system for a non-violent offense. The price paid by those arrested and convicted of marijuana possession is often significant and can linger for years, if not a lifetime. 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 Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is currently in the midst of a study on racial profiling. The report is due to be released this month. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt