Take Action: Safer Arizona Marijuana Legalization Initiative

Safer Arizona is a grassroots initiative to legalize Marijuana in Arizona. At the moment the initiative is at the petition stage. In order for this initiative to get on the election ballots in November they need to have support from a large enough representation of the population to prove there is a large enough collective that feels strongly that change needs to take place.

So make your voice heard if you are a resident of Arizona, and spread the word.

You can email Volunteer@saferarizona.com to let them know you are interested in volunteering!

Racially Biased Arrests for Pot

Editorial by the New York Times Editorial Board

Researchers have long known that African-Americans are more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, even though studies have repeatedly shown that the two groups use the drug at similar rates.

New federal data, included in a study by the American Civil Liberties Union, now shows that the problem of racially biased arrests is far more extensive that was previously known — and is getting worse. The costly, ill-advised “war on marijuana” might fairly be described as a tool of racial oppression.

The study, based on law enforcement data from 50 states and the District of Columbia, is the most detailed of its kind so far. Marijuana arrests have risen sharply over the last two decades and now make up about half of all drug arrests in the United States. Of the more than eight million marijuana arrests made between 2001 and 2010, nearly 90 percent were for possession. There were nearly 900,000 marijuana arrests in 2010 — 300,000 more than for all violent crimes combined.

The 'Stop and Frisk' program carried it out in NYC, which targets almost exclusively minorities lead to the higher rates of arrest. The marijuana arrest rate for minorities is disproportional skewed do to this practice.