In Miami, the communities most impacted by past cannabis arrests are overwhelmingly Black and Latino, especially in lower-income neighborhoods across the urban core. That local reality mirrors national findings from the ACLU, which show Black people are nearly four times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession despite similar rates of use.
Recent data out of Miami-Dade makes the disparity hard to ignore. An analysis of more than 4,200 misdemeanor marijuana cases over the last five years found that nearly 60% of those charged were Black, even though Black residents make up only about 18% of the county’s population. Earlier reporting based on Miami-Dade Police arrest forms found that in a sample of 50 arrests for minor cannabis possession, 40 involved Black or Hispanic defendants. In practice, that has meant that young Black and Latino men in neighborhoods such as Liberty City, Overtown, Little Havana, and parts of North Miami have borne the brunt of enforcement.
The harm doesn’t end with the arrest itself. A cannabis record can make it much harder to land a job, rent an apartment, qualify for student loans, or obtain professional licenses, even when the charge is ultimately dropped. A study of Miami-Dade’s justice system documented how people arrested in Black neighborhoods spend more time in pretrial detention and face a “geographic funnel” of harsher outcomes—creating punishment hotspots in Black communities that compound over time.
In the last decade, Miami-Dade has taken steps to reduce new criminal records for low-level marijuana possession. In 2015, county commissioners approved an ordinance allowing officers to issue a $100 civil citation instead of arresting people caught with up to 20 grams of cannabis. Since the program launched, thousands of citations have been issued in lieu of arrest, and more than half of those cited were first-time offenders who avoided a permanent criminal record.
The county has also expanded diversion and record-clearing options aimed at repairing some of the damage. Miami-Dade’s Diversion Program gives eligible people cited for certain low-level offenses the chance to complete classes or community service instead of ending up with a conviction. The state attorney’s “Second Chance” program helps people whose low-level cases—often including marijuana—did not result in conviction apply to have their records sealed or expunged, improving access to employment and housing. The Public Defender’s Redemption Project has assisted more than 6,000 residents through record-sealing and expungement workshops hosted in churches and community centers across Miami-Dade.
Nonprofits are filling in critical gaps. Groups such as the Florida Justice Center and the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition provide legal assistance and, in some cases, cover state fees so eligible people can clear their records and rebuild economic stability. But because Florida does not automatically clear cannabis records, residents in over-policed neighborhoods still have to navigate complicated paperwork, court procedures, and sometimes significant costs to get relief.
Advocates stress that, despite these reforms, racial disparities in who is still cited, arrested, or prosecuted for marijuana in Miami-Dade remain a serious concern. For the communities most harmed by past cannabis enforcement, the work underway in Miami now is about more than decriminalization—it is about long-term investment in legal aid, education, housing, and economic opportunities, plus future reforms like automatic record clearance and equity-focused licensing, so that a single low-level cannabis arrest no longer dictates a person’s future.