The NAACP endorsed Prop. 19, the recreational marijuana initiative, saying the measure is a civil rights issue. The civil rights group pointed to a study released by the Drug Policy Alliance, which found, among other things:
— In every one of the 25 largest counties in California, blacks are arrested for marijuana possession at higher rates than whites, typically at double, triple or even quadruple the rate of whites.
— U.S. government studies consistently find that young blacks use marijuana at lower rates than young whites.
— Marijuana possession arrests have serious consequences. They create permanent “drug arrest” records that can be easily found on the Internet by employers, landlords, schools, credit agencies, licensing boards and banks.
— Criminal records for marijuana possession severely limit the life chances of the poor, the young, and especially of young blacks and Latinos.
Source: Drug Policy Alliance
