A tale of two cities: racialized arrests following decriminalization and recreational legalization of cannabis

Original research
by
Joshi, Spruha, Samantha M. Doonan & John R. Pamplin

Release Date

2023

Geography

USA

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

No

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

No

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

The change in the legal status of cannabis may reduce the racial disparity in arrests. We examined the impact of changing legal status on arrest disparities.

Findings/Key points

There was a reduction in the absolute arrest disparity for cannabis-related possession arrests following decriminalization and legalization in both D.C and L.A. However, we saw the emergence of arrests for public consumption.

Design/methods

Deidentified cannabis arrest data

Keywords

Equity
Legal system/law enforcement
Decriminalization/legalization
Outcomes