Using the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to examine racial and ethnic disparities in cannabis incidents

ABSTRACT

Background: Reducing racial and ethnic arrest disparities is one driver of cannabis legalization in the US., but outcomes of cannabis policies and equity provisions remain unknown. Early research finds legalization reduces total cannabis incidents, but disparities persist. In response, novel research approaches are emerging, but a comprehensive assessment of their strengths and limitations is needed, particularly when using data sources developed for other purposes.

Objectives: This perspective assesses the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), originally developed for crime statistics, as a means to surveil cannabis incident disparities.

Methods: Massachusetts NIBRS (2000–2013) illustrates discussion points, including around sample inclusion, data integrity, and missing data.

Results: We find that NIBRS is a comprehensive source for state-level monitoring if used with knowledge of its limitations. However, drawing conclusions about disparities requires careful assessment of sample inclusion and any changes to participation rates, data integrity, reporting changes, and missing variables, before analysis and reporting.

Conclusion: NIBRS utility would increase with greater or required jurisdiction participation, guidance for collection of racial and ethnic data, and required ethnicity reporting. Despite limitations, cannabis disparity analyses using NIBRS can provide key insights for increasing equity in states considering and enacting cannabis legalization.

KEYWORDS:

• Cannabis
• marijuana
• arrest
• disparity
• legalization
• equity

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Shawn Collins, Shaleen Title, Alisa Stack, Shekia Scott, Yaw Gyebi, Paul Payer, Christine Baily, and Andrew Carter of the Cannabis Control Commission (CNB), Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Daniel Bibel, Massachusetts Fusion Center, Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Retired); Jack Reed, Office of Research and Statistics, Colorado Division of Criminal Justice; and Michael Doonan, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University.

Disclosure of interest

The authors report no relevant disclosures. Two authors work for the Cannabis Control Commission, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the regulatory agency for cannabis laws in the Massachusetts Commonwealth as staff (Samantha M. Doonan and Julie K. Johnson).

Prior publication

Parts of this manuscript were adapted from the following government report (Doonan SM., Johnson JK., 2019, April). A Baseline Review and Assessment of Cannabis Use and Public Safety Part 2: 94C Violations and Social Equity: Literature Review and Preliminary Data in Massachusetts. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission). The manuscript has been substantially revised to be of interest to readers of The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Notes

1. Ethnicity is an optional data element in both the arrestee and offender data segments. Ethnicity was added to the offender segment in 2013 (40).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.