INDIANA NORML SETS UP AT EVENTS ACROSS THE STATE , INCLUDING PRIDE FESTIVAL IN KOKOMO . PHOTO COURTESY INDIANA NORML farm commodity . What this would do for Indiana is allow for a lot more farm jobs , a lot more manual labor jobs , a lot more profit ,” McDermott said at the event .
According to the most recent data from the American Civil Liberties Union , Black people are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for Marijuana possession than white people .
The data from 2018 shows black people are 4.6 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana in Floyd County and three times more likely to be arrested for marijuana in Clark County .
A report from 2020 said arrests for possession of marijuana in Indiana made up for 45 % of all drug arrests in Indiana .
Steve Dillon , the founder of Indiana NORML and an attorney who practices cases involving marijuana said he ’ s been fighting for marijuana law reform for the past 50 years .
“ One of the reasons NORML is so involved in this issue is we believe in liberty for all people ,” he said . “ That ’ s why we got started . We couldn ’ t believe people were going to jail for possession ( of small amounts .).”
He said there ’ s a large racial disparity when it comes to who goes to jail for marijuana-related crimes .
“ The ACLU found that it was federally more likely if you ’ re Black than white to be arrested for marijuana ,” he said , adding Black and white people use marijuana at the same rate . “ That ’ s part of the new Jim Crow , mass incarceration of minorities in this country .”
He said sentences can be higher for minorities and in states where marijuana use is legal for medical or recreational purposes , people are working on doing expungements for those with prior records .
Other things are also being done to help minorities in these states .
“ We are helping with states where it ’ s legal to have dispensaries to give considerable rates to minority groups to get their marijuana license ,” Dillon said . “ We are addressing the racial disparity on the new bills for people who go into business , almost like an affirmative action for dispensaries .”
Dillon has had several gubernatorial runs as a Libertarian candidate in Indiana .
“ It is interesting to me that Indiana is still committed to arresting our citizens ,” he said . “ In the United States . Fifty-two percent of all U . S . adults have used marijuana . They find it ’ s not as bad as it was told to them during the reefer madness days .”
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