The Legal Aid Society, in response to recently released data from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) showing that New Yorkers of color made up more than 94 percent of arrests and summonses issued for marijuana violations and offenses in 2020, called on Albany to enact the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act immediately to ensure that the same communities who continue to shoulder the brunt of marijuana prohibition have first access to the benefits of legalization.

According to the data, New Yorkers of color – mostly from Black and Latinx communities –  were the subjects of roughly 95 percent of all marijuana arrests and 96 percent of all summonses issued for marijuana possession in 2020, as reported by THE CITY.

“The data affirm that New Yorkers of color are still overwhelmingly shouldering the brunt of the NYPD’s racist marijuana enforcement while other communities get a free pass,” said Anthony Posada, Supervising Attorney with the Community Justice Unit at The Legal Aid Society.