Pubdate: Sun, 26 Oct 2014
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2014 The Washington Post Company
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Authors: Michael Eric Dyson and Malik Burnett
Note: Michael Eric Dyson is a sociology professor at Georgetown 
University and an MSNBC political analyst. Malik Burnett is a former 
surgeon and policy manager at the Drug Policy Alliance.
Page: A32

A CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE - THROUGH LEGAL MARIJUANA

Racial Disparities Still Exist in Enforcement

Not even the threat of legal penalty has kept marijuana users from 
making it the most commonly used recreational drug after alcohol and 
tobacco. But in black America, marijuana's harsh penalty is 
evergreen: It is a consistent gateway into jails that lock away 
mostly young black folk, including those who don't have prior arrest records.

Society colors our perception of the people who use marijuana. White 
marijuana users are often perceived as good people who made a 
mistake; black marijuana users bear the stigma of "criminals" or 
"thugs." The gap in perception has real consequences, as seen in the 
inequitable arrests and unjust sentencing across racial lines. Every 
day, the danger of this disparity floods our legal system, and 
nothing short of legalization of marijuana use will stem the tide. 
Fifty-eight percent of Americans already support this policy, and it 
is time we affirmed their wisdom.

Reports show that African Americans receive more frequent and heavier 
sentences for marijuana-related arrests despite using the drug about 
as much as whites. Young black men are 10 times more likely than 
white men to be arrested for drug crimes. This glaring injustice is 
especially clear in our nation's capital.

The District leads the nation in marijuana arrests per capita and 
boasts an arrest rate for marijuana dealing that more than doubles 
any other state. The American Civil Liberties Union estimates that 
the District spends $26 million each year on marijuana law 
enforcement alone. District police officers stalk primarily black 
neighborhoods using undercover officers and informants to place 
low-income people of color under heightened surveillance. It's no 
wonder that, in a city whose population is only about half black, 91 
percent of all marijuana arrests are of black people. Between 2001 
and 2010, the number of white people arrested for marijuana use 
remained relatively steady while the number of black people arrested 
increased to 4,908 from 3,228.

Disparities in police stops, prosecutorial charging and sentencing 
decisions have wreaked havoc in black communities. Harsh sentences 
have been catastrophic, causing the loss of jobs, homes, the ability 
to attend schools, voting rights and even children. Reports that 
black residents are eight times more likely to be arrested finally 
spurred the D.C. Council to decriminalize marijuana, reducing 
penalties for marijuana-related arrests.

Yet, reviews of marijuana decriminalization laws in 18 states show 
that discrimination persists even after these laws go into effect. In 
the early days of decriminalization in the District, roughly 77 
percent of the tickets for marijuana possession were issued in 
minority neighborhoods.

In November, District voters will have a chance to begin correcting 
decades of injustice by making small scale possession of marijuana 
legal for adult private use. Initiative 71 will allow residents of 
the District age 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of 
marijuana for personal use and to grow up to six plants. The 
initiative does not account for sales or the production of marijuana.

If Initiative 71 is approved, the D.C. Council could go a long way in 
reducing street-corner drug dealing, police clashes and violence. 
Instead of marijuana being sold in the shadows, the council could 
regulate, monitor and set strict guidelines to protect communities.

The council must enact legislation to address the additional damages 
caused by the war on drugs. It has begun this work by moving a bill 
that would seal the records of people arrested for some 
marijuana-related offenses. However, additional reforms should be 
included, such as removing marijuana from employment drug-testing 
policies, ensuring that the new marijuana economy benefits 
communities previously harmed by the policies of prohibition and 
earmarking the tax revenue generated from the sale of marijuana for 
the redevelopment of those communities.

The evidence at this point is clear: The long-term health effects of 
incarceration are far worse than the long-term health effects of 
marijuana use. Marijuana prohibition enforcement is patently unjust. 
It is not applied equally, it does not curtail marijuana use and it 
does not protect young people. After all, drug dealers don't check IDs.

Initiative 71 is the first step in the broader effort to develop a 
new system based on economic and racial justice.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom