minority cannabis arrests Archives

The Big Apple: Marijuana Arrest Rates Up 29 Percent, Minorities Account For 90 Percent

August 9, 2016

The ebb and flow of marijuana arrests in The Big Apple continue. . .

Purportedly working to lose their “marijuana arrest capital of the world” moniker – and after successfully cutting their weed-related arrests by 75% between 2013 and 2014 – New York’s 2016 marijuana arrest rate shot up by 29% when compared to the first six months of 2015.

Hit particularly hard during this surge of chronic arrests – minorities.

Report: Over 90% of those Arrested for Cannabis in New York City are Minorities

June 1, 2016

Minorities account for more than 90% of all arrests made for the possession and distribution of cannabis in New York City between January and March of this year, according to data from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services; the data was obtained by the Police Reform Organizing Project (PROP).

According to the data, arrests for “small amounts” of cannabis were up 33.7% this year, compared to the same time-frame in 2015. This is despite the fact that Mayor de Blasio has called on police to no longer make arrests for those caught possession small amounts of cannabis, given they aren’t consuming in public and aren’t selling.