Dear Editor: I commend Rep. Melissa Sargent for introducing legislation to legalize marijuana. Legalizing pot is an issue of racial justice, fiscal responsibility and common sense.
In 2010, cops in Wisconsin busted someone for having marijuana every 28 minutes, a report released last June by the American Civil Liberties Union shows. Most of these arrests are happening in communities of color. Despite roughly comparable usage rates, African-Americans in Wisconsin are nearly six times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession.