Table 1.
Disparities in arresta rates for African Americans compared to Whites over timeb, stratified by age, 2012–2015, Washington State.
| Time period | Population group | No. of Arrests | Average monthly arrest rate | Adjusted RR for African Americans vs. Whites (95% CI)c | p-value comparing to RR before legalization of possession |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 + year olds (legal age) | |||||
| Before legalization of possession (January 2012–November 2012) | African Americans | 342 | 22.4/100,000 | 2.5 (2.1–2.8) | — |
| Whites | 1814 | 6.3/100,000 | — | ||
| After legalization of possession and before marijuana retail market opened (December 2012–June 2014) | African Americans | 73 | 2.7/100,000 | 3.3 (2.5–4.3) | .064 |
| Whites | 300 | 0.6/100,000 | — | ||
| After marijuana retail market opened (July 2014–December 2015) | African Americans | 77 | 2.9/100,000 | 5.2 (3.9–6.8) | <.001 |
| Whites | 193 | 0.4/100,000 | |||
| 18–20 year olds (underage use) | |||||
| Before legalization of possession (January 2012–November 2012) | African Americans | 112 | 89.5/100,000 | 1.7 (1.4–2.1) | — |
| Whites | 700 | 50.9/100,000 | |||
| After legalization of possession and before marijuana retail market opened (December 2012–June 2014) | African Americans | 88 | 40.7/100,000 | 1.9 (1.5–2.4) | .534 |
| Whites | 483 | 21.0/100,000 | |||
| After marijuana retail market opened (July 2014–December 2015) | African Americans | 71 | 34.0/100,000 | 1.7 (1.3–2.2) | .932 |
| Whites | 431 | 20.0/100,000 |
Note: RR, rate ratio; CI, confidence interval.
a
Arrests include citations. We included only one arrestee per incident.
b
Those who were identified as Latino were not included in the African American or White racial/ethnic categories.
c
RR from a negative binomial regression model, adjusting for gender, time, and the main effects of policies.