Abstract
This paper explores one reason for the educational gaps experienced by Black men. Using variation in state marijuana possession and distribution laws, this paper examines whether the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which increased the disproportionate incarceration of Black males, led to differences in college enrollment rates. The results suggest that Black males had a 2.2 percentage point decrease in the relative probability of college enrollment after the passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. There is some evidence that drug arrests, particularly around crack cocaine but not marijuana, led to this decrease in the probability of enrollment.