ACLU says Blacks in N.J. are arrested for marijuana 3 times as often as whites - a Disparity at an all time high

From [HERE] In New Jersey, African Americans are arrested for possession of marijuana about three times as often as Caucasians and Hispanics, and in some of the state’s smaller towns more than 25 to 30 times as often, according to a report issued by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey on Thursday.

The ACLU’s two-year analysis of data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program revealed police in New Jersey’s rural and suburban towns were more likely to disproportionately arrest blacks for marijuana than police in urban communities between 2000 and 2013.

“The war on marijuana is a war on marijuana users, and it’s disproportionately a war on black communities,” ACLU-NJ interim executive director Diane DuBrule said in a statement released with the detailed 70-page report.

The arrests ranged from possession of a joint to as much as 50 grams (less than two ounces).

The report also noted that the rate of marijuana use among blacks and whites is similar, based on the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, while the arrest rate for blacks is much higher. The survey said that 42.1 percent of blacks reported having used marijuana, compared with 48.9 percent of whites.

“Racial disparities in New Jersey marijuana arrests are at an all-time high,” the report said. According to the ACLU, blacks were twice as likely to be arrested in 2000 and three times as likely in 2013. [MORE]