Pot Arrests in NY Vary By Race (Source: Democrat & Chronicle)
Source: Democrat & Chronicle
Albany, NY - Black New Yorkers are nearly five times more likely to be arrested on low-level marijuana possession charges than whites, and the disparity is much wider in the state’s most populous counties, a report Thursday found.
In Monroe County, for example, a black person is 6½ times more likely to be arrested on a pot charge than a white person, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union report, which analyzed FBI data from 2001 through 2010. Statewide, black people are 4½ times more likely to be busted for pot, and in parts of New York City, they’re nine times more likely.
Senate Democrats refuted claims that they did not support Cuomo’s legislation. Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, stressed in a statement the conference’s support for decriminalizing marijuana. “These arrests, which are usually of young people of color, go on permanent records, which impact housing, educational and professional prospects,” Stewart-Cousins said. “We must pass a marijuana standardization law now.”