Marijuana Policing

Marijuana Policing Destroys Lives Every Week in Boston

Even though Massachusetts overwhelmingly passed marijuana decriminalization in 2008, right now an average of 13 people every week are arrested or harassed by the police because of marijuana.

Just one arrest can permanently change one’s life for the worse, causing barriers to employment, schooling, and housing.

The data shows the majority of police interactions and arrests for marijuana offenses occur in neighborhoods where mostly people of color live.

Let’s explore the data from the 2014 census and the data produced daily by the Boston Police Department.

46% of Boston’s population is white

25% of Boston’s population is Black

And 29% of Boston’s population is other people of color

As you can see, the city is racially segregated

White

People of color

White

People of color

Now let’s look at where police harass and arrest people because of marijuana.

This is where marijuana incidents happened last week

and this is where marijuana incidents happened since August 2015

Do you notice a pattern?

White

People of color

White

People of color

We can help end racially biased policing of marijuana!

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