Marijuana arrests now account for over half of all drug arrests in the United States. The unproductive marijuana policy has put hundreds of thousands of people into the criminal justice system and wasted billions of dollars that could have been diverted towards more critical issues. Not only that, but racial disparities in marijuana arrests have increased, with black Americans nearly four times more likely than whites to be arrested for possession of pot. 

An extensive study from the American Civil Liberties Union tracking marijuana arrests by race and county in all 50 states and the District of Columbia showed that black and white Americans use marijuana at about the same rate. However, blacks are much more likely to be arrested than whites. In Washington D.C. and states such as Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois, blacks were 7.5 to 8.5 times more likely than whites to be arrested for possession. 

The chart below shows the racial bias in Marijuana arrests in the District of Columbia. Click here to view the interactive infographic showing data from six other states.  

States spent about $3.6 billion on enforcing marijuana possession laws and most people being arrested aren't drug kingpins but are only in possession of small amounts of the drug. Marijuana use has been a priority for police departments nationwide. However, it this has failed to reduce marijuana use and availability. 

In 2011, 99.5 percent of the U.S.-Mexico Border Patrol's drug seizure was Marijuana, the rest of 0.05% accounted for cocaine, meth, heroine, and other drugs. 

Not only do many people die in the process but but resources that could be better invested in our communities are diverted. 

Reach Executive Producer Syuzanna Petrosyan here. Follow her on Twitter.