Report: Madison pot arrests higher for blacks

Police in Madison arrest or cite blacks for marijuana offenses at about 12 times the rate they punish whites, according to data analyzed by the Wisconsin State Journal.

The State Journal examined 18 months of police drug arrests for their report Sunday. The newspaper said the disparity comes despite national surveys that show blacks and whites use pot at about the same rate.

And the State Journal noted that blacks in Madison make up more than half the people arrested or cited on marijuana charges, despite accounting for only about 7 percent of the city population.

Police Chief Mike Koval says the numbers are a sad commentary on racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Koval says he supports legalizing marijuana.