Toronto marijuana arrests reveal ‘startling’ racial divide

Toronto police data obtained by the Star breaks down arrests by neighbourhood and shows disproportionate numbers for Black people when it comes to pot possession charges
The Toronto Star (Canada)
Thursday, July 6, 2017

Black people with no history of criminal convictions have been three times more likely to be arrested by Toronto police for possession of small amounts of marijuana than white people with similar backgrounds. They’ve also been more likely to be detained for bail, the data shows. The disparity is largely due to targeting of Black people by Toronto police, according to criminologists and defence lawyers interviewed by the Star, who note that surveys show little difference in marijuana use between Black and white people. Anthony Morgan, a human rights lawyer and community activist, called the statistics “another example of the failed war on drugs.”