Cannabis

The Numbers Behind Sanders' Claim About African-Americans And Weed

The Democratic candidate says black people are four times more likely to be arrested than white people, even though drug use rates are comparable.

The Numbers Behind Sanders' Claim About African-Americans And Weed
Getty Images / Win McNamee
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During Thursday's PBS debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders said that African-Americans are four times as likely to be arrested on marijuana charges than Caucasians. That statistic comes from a 2013 American Civil Liberties Union study that found that African-Americans are 3.7 times more likely to be arrested than white people, even though both smoke marijuana at about the same rate. 

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