Marijuana Arrests at Record Breaking High....Again

By Jeralyn, Section Crime Policy
Posted on Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 05:44:16 PM EST
Tags: marijuana reform (all tags)

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The Bush Adminstration's Drug Czar John Walters said on C-Span last week (video here) that it's a lie that 800,000 Americans were arrested for pot last year. He said folks would have better luck finding a “unicorn” in jail for pot.

NORML has the statistics:

Police arrested a record 872,721 persons for marijuana violations in 2007, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report released today. This is the largest total number of annual arrests for cannabis ever recorded by the FBI. Cannabis arrests now comprise nearly 47.5 percent of all drug arrests in the United States.

"These numbers belie the myth that police do not target and arrest minor cannabis offenders," said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, who noted that at current rates, a cannabis consumer is arrested every 37 seconds in America. "This effort is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources that diverts law enforcement personnel away from focusing on serious and violent crime, including the war on terrorism."

More....

Arrest statistics are here . Of those arrested for drug offenses, 42.1% were for possession of marijuana and 5.3% were for sale or cultivation of pot.

Here's today's FBI press release announcing the report.

As compared to arrests for other crimes:

The total number of marijuana arrests in the U.S. for 2007 far exceeded the total number of arrests in the U.S. for all violent crimes combined, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

And here's an interesting stat:

October 10, 2008 will mark the arrest of the 20 millionth cannabis consumer arrested under cannabis prohibition, circa 1937.

Just another Bush Administration lie exposed.

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Marijuana Arrests at Record Breaking High....Again | 5 comments (5 topical)

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come on now jeralyn, (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by cpinva on Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 07:14:58 PM EST

you know all 872,721 of those arrested were major dealers. they each had their own cartel, importing billions of lbs of high-grade pot into the country, and causing lehman to go bankrupt (they were betting on cocaine). clearly, this is the primary source as well, of the sub-prime mortgage crisis (ok, except those guys made their payments on time).

oh, and i feel much, much safer!

How does NORML define (none / 0) (#1)
by oculus on Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 05:49:58 PM EST

"cannabis offenders"?

Sorry: "minor cannibas (none / 0) (#2)
by oculus on Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 05:50:29 PM EST

offender."


: minor cannibis offender (none / 0) (#3)
by Jeralyn on Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 05:57:34 PM EST

I think would be simple possession.
According to the stats, only 5.3% of drug arrests were for pot cultivation or sale while 42.1% were for possession.
Possession of large amounts is generally charged as possession with intent to distribute, not possession. It would be in the sale/distribution category.

Proud to be a member..... (none / 0) (#6)
by kdog on Tue Sep 16, 2008 at 09:46:13 AM EST

of this group, 20 million strong!

In America, odds are if you've never been arrested you were never truly free.