According to the 2020 Census, New York’s racial makeup was 52.50% White, 19.50% Hispanic, 14.80% Black, 9.60% Asian, and 10.90% Other. Despite accounting for less than 15% of New York’s population, Black New Yorkers accounted for 41.80% of treatment admissions for marijuana between 2015 and 2022, indicating that they are being disproportionately harmed by marijuana.
Why Are These Treatment Admissions Disproportionate?
Many who support the legalization of marijuana argue that communities of color, especially Black communities, are disproportionally arrested for marijuana possession. We share their support of the decriminalization of the possession of marijuana, which would remove criminal penalties for low-level possession. However, the full legalization and commercialization of marijuana opens the door for the profit-driven marijuana industry, which not only seeks to maximize its profits through the sale of an addictive product that harms public health, but also targets communities of color and vulnerable populations. This pattern has already happened in the Hispanic community of Denver and in the Black community of Baltimore.
