As states across the country are relaxing their marijuana laws and federal lawmakers consider doing the same, at least one state is bucking the trend and ramping up its war on pot. Marijuana arrests in Virginia have increased dramatically over the past decade, according to a new report from the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that advocates for drug policy reform. And black Virginians account for the overwhelming majority of this increase, causing the racial disparity in the state's marijuana arrests to widen.

When Colorado and Washington State legalized pot for recreational use, those who supported it had a lot of reasons. It’s just as safe or safer than alcohol. It infringes on civil liberties. It diverts police resources away from violent crime at a high cost that yields little benefit. It funnels young people into the criminal justice system, and those young people are disproportionately black or brown.