Marijuana legalization and racial disparities in prison incarceration in Colorado and Washington State: a quasi-experimental study

Objectives: This study examines the impact of recreational marijuana legalization on Black-White disparities in overall prison incarceration and drug-related prison incarceration in Colorado (CO) and Washington State (WA). Methods: We employ a quasi-experimental research design via a matching approach using the synthetic control method (SCM) as well as the difference-in-differences (DiD) method, using data from the National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s state population estimates from 2006 to 2018. Results: Our findings suggest that recreational marijuana legalization in these two legalized states is not associated with sizable and significant decreases in Black-White disparities in overall prison incarceration rates or drug-related prison incarceration rates over the post-legalization period, relative to the nonlegalized states. Conclusions: Recreational marijuana in CO and WA has had a limited impact on lessening racial inequality in imprisonment.