A new White House report admits that marijuana’s illegality is contributing to racial inequalities in America.

“A black individual is nearly four times as likely as a white individual to be arrested for marijuana possession, even though black and white individuals reported using marijuana at similar rates,” says the new report on barriers that prevent disadvantaged youth from achieving their full potential.

The document, “Economic Costs of Youth Disadvantage and High-Return Opportunities for Change,” was published this week by the Executive Office of the President. It examines educational, criminal justice and unemployment disparities between young men of color and other Americans.

The marijuana arrest statistics come from a study conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which supports legalizing cannabis.

The White House report also cites statistics on racial disparities in other areas of the criminal justice system. For example:

In 2011, the majority of State and Federal prisoners were minorities— black and Hispanic prisoners alone accounted for over 60 percent of total prisoners, far greater than their share of the total U.S. population.

Inequalities in arrests and sentencing contribute to overrepresentation of black and Hispanic Americans in the incarcerated population. Even when there is little difference in the likelihood of committing a crime, individuals of color are much more likely to be arrested. If convicted, black offenders are more likely to be sentenced to incarceration than white offenders and to receive longer sentences for the same offenses.

And the money that’s funding all this punishment would be much better spent on other programs that set youth on the right path, the report says. “The annual cost of incarceration for a single juvenile is over $100,000— almost twice as high as tuition, room and board, and fees at the most expensive college in the country and nearly 100 times as expensive as a …read more

Source:: Weed Feed