An Examination of Racial Disparities in Misdemeanor Marijuana Possession Arrests Following Reforms in Four U.S. Jurisdictions

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristyn A. Jones ◽  
Darren Agboh ◽  
Meredith Patten ◽  
Preeti Chauhan

Abstract Using data from New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Prince George’s County, MD; and Louisville, KY, we examine trends in racial disparities in the enforcement of misdemeanor marijuana possessionbefore and after marijuana reforms. In these jurisdictions, we find that changes to marijuana enforcement were associated with reductions in arrest rates for Black, Hispanic, and White people, though the rate of decline varied by jurisdiction. Black people were arrested at the highest rates in relation to their proportion of the population. In three of the four jurisdictions where issuing criminal citations was an enforcement option, racial/ethnic disparities in arrest rates increased post-reforms; legalization and the option to issue a civil citation were associated with reductions in racial/ethnic disparities. Trends in this study provide policymakers with information to implement effective reforms that target racial disparities in marijuana possession arrests.

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Whedon ◽  
Melissa N. Kimura ◽  
Reed B. Phillips

Racial and ethnic disparities in utilization of chiropractic services have been described at the state level, but little is known about such local disparities. We analyzed Medicare data for the year 2008 to evaluate by ZIP code for utilization of chiropractic services among older adults in Los Angeles County, California. We evaluated for availability and use of chiropractic services by racial/ethnic category, quantified geographic variations by coefficient of variation, and mapped utilization by selected racial/ethnic categories. Among 7502 beneficiaries who used chiropractic services, 72% were white, 12% Asian, 1% black, 1% Hispanic, and 14% other/unknown. Variation in the number of beneficiaries per ZIP code who used chiropractic services was highest among Hispanics, blacks, and Asians. We found evidence of racial disparities in use of chiropractic services at the local level in Los Angeles County. Older blacks and Hispanics in Los Angeles County may be underserved with regard to chiropractic care.


Author(s):  
Jay J. Xu ◽  
Jarvis T. Chen ◽  
Thomas R. Belin ◽  
Ronald S. Brookmeyer ◽  
Marc A. Suchard ◽  
...  

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in the United States has disproportionately impacted communities of color across the country. Focusing on COVID-19-attributable mortality, we expand upon a national comparative analysis of years of potential life lost (YPLL) attributable to COVID-19 by race/ethnicity (Bassett et al., 2020), estimating percentages of total YPLL for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives, contrasting them with their respective percent population shares, as well as age-adjusted YPLL rate ratios—anchoring comparisons to non-Hispanic Whites—in each of 45 states and the District of Columbia using data from the National Center for Health Statistics as of 30 December 2020. Using a novel Monte Carlo simulation procedure to perform estimation, our results reveal substantial racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19-attributable YPLL across states, with a prevailing pattern of non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics experiencing disproportionately high and non-Hispanic Whites experiencing disproportionately low COVID-19-attributable YPLL. Furthermore, estimated disparities are generally more pronounced when measuring mortality in terms of YPLL compared to death counts, reflecting the greater intensity of the disparities at younger ages. We also find substantial state-to-state variability in the magnitudes of the estimated racial/ethnic disparities, suggesting that they are driven in large part by social determinants of health whose degree of association with race/ethnicity varies by state.


Author(s):  
Yulin Yang ◽  
M Carrington Reid ◽  
Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk ◽  
Karl Pillemer

Abstract Background This study aims to better understand differing pain experiences across U.S. racial/ethnic subgroups by estimating racial-ethnic disparities in both pain intensity and domain-specific pain-related interference. To address this issue, we use a nationally-representative sample of non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic adults ages 50+ who report recently experiencing pain. Methods Using data from the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; N=684), we conducted a series of multivariate analyses to assess possible racial/ethnic disparities in pain intensity and seven domains of pain interference, controlling for relevant sociodemographic variables and other health problems. Results Black and Hispanic participants reported higher pain intensity than White participants after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) and other health conditions. Both Black and Hispanic individuals reported more domain-specific pain interference in bivariate analyses. In multivariate analyses, Black (vs. White) participants reported significantly higher levels of pain interference with family-home responsibilities, occupation, sexual behavior, and daily self-care. We did not find significant Hispanic-White differences in the seven pain interference domains, nor did we find Black-White differences in three domains (recreation, social activities, and essential activities). Conclusions Our findings highlight the need for using multi-dimensional measures of pain when assessing for possible pain disparities with respect to race/ethnicity. Future studies on pain interventions should consider contextualizing the pain experience across different racial subgroups to help pain patients with diverse needs, with the ultimate goal of reducing racial/ethnic disparities in pain.


2020 ◽  
pp. 233264922094990
Author(s):  
Faustina M. DuCros

Much of the contemporary scholarship on Black identities focuses on how multiraciality, immigrant status, class, and neighborhood characteristics shape how social actors negotiate identities. In contrast, little analysis exists of how internal migration and regional origin or ancestry shape such negotiations. The study addresses this gap using interview data to examine how U.S.-born Black Louisianans with Creole heritage, who moved to Los Angeles along with their children during the Great Migration, actively negotiate racial/ethnic identities. The results show that participants negotiate identities situationally, especially when ambiguous appearances or surnames trigger interactional encounters in which they are mis-placed as “foreign” to the United States. Specifically, as migrants from one internal U.S. region to another, they use geographical references to situate Black racial and Creole ethnic identities (e.g., they refer to Louisiana or New Orleans) when interacting with non-Creole African Americans and non-Black people in Los Angeles. The study extends prior research on heterogeneous Black identities by demonstrating how internal migration, mixed racial/ethnic ancestry, and region of origin influence native-born Black American identities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 152 (5) ◽  
pp. S1197
Author(s):  
Chiranjeevi Gadiparthi ◽  
Rosann Cholankeril ◽  
Eddie L. Copelin ◽  
Mairin Joseph-Talreja ◽  
Muhammad Ali Khan ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Jayasree Basu ◽  
Amresh Hanchate ◽  
Arlene Bierman

We examine differences in rates of 30-day readmissions across patients by race/ethnicity and the extent to which these differences were moderated by insurance coverage. We use hospital discharge data of patients in the 18 years and above age group for 5 US states, California, Florida, Missouri, New York, and Tennessee for 2009, the latest year prior to the start of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Hospital Compare program of public reporting of hospital performance on 30-day readmissions. We use logistic regression models by state to estimate the association between insurance status, race, and the likelihood of a readmission within 30 days of an index hospital admission for any cause. Overall in 5 states, non-Hispanic blacks had a slightly higher risk of 30-day readmissions relative to non-Hispanic whites, although this pattern varied by state and insurance coverage. We found higher readmission risk for non-Hispanic blacks, compared with non-Hispanic whites, among those covered by Medicare and private insurance, but lower risk among uninsured and similar risk among Medicaid. Hispanics had lower risk of readmissions relative to non-Hispanic whites, and this pattern was common across subgroups with private, Medicaid, and no insurance coverage. Uninsurance was associated with lower risk of readmissions among minorities but higher risk of readmissions among non-Hispanic whites relative to private insurance. The study found that risk of readmissions by racial ethnic groups varies by insurance status, with lower readmission rates among minorities who were uninsured compared with those with private insurance or Medicare, suggesting that lower readmission rates may not always be construed as a good outcome, because it could result from a lack of insurance coverage and poor access to care, particularly among the minorities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 107 (7) ◽  
pp. 1157-1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don C. Des Jarlais ◽  
Kamyar Arasteh ◽  
Courtney McKnight ◽  
Jonathan Feelemyer ◽  
Susan Tross ◽  
...  

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