Incarceration Nation — Marijuana Arrests For Year 2009 Near Record High
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September 15, 2010
[Editor's note: This post is excerpted from NORML's weekly media advisory. To have NORML's media advisories delivered straight to your in-box, sign up for NORML's free e-zine here.]
Police prosecuted 858,408 persons for marijuana violations in 2009, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s annual Uniform Crime Report, released today. The arrest total is the second highest ever reported by the FBI, and marks a 1.3 percent increase in the number of arrests reported in 2008 (847,864).
According to the report, marijuana arrests now comprise more than one-half (approximately 52 percent) of all drug arrests reported in the United States. A decade ago, marijuana arrests comprised just 44 percent of all drug arrests.
Approximately forty-six percent of all drug prosecutions nationwide are for marijuana possession.
“The numbers tell the story; the enforcement of criminal marijuana laws and the prosecution of marijuana offenders, in particular minor marijuana possession defendants, is driving the present drug war,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “Those who claim otherwise would be better off advocating for a long-overdue reprioritization law enforcement resources and concerns.
“It makes no sense to continue to prosecute Americans for their use of a substance that poses far fewer health risks than alcohol or tobacco. A better and more sensible solution would be to legalize and regulate cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol, as is presently being proposed in California by Proposition 19.”
Of those charged with marijuana violations, approximately 88 percent (758,593 Americans) were charged with possession only. The remaining 99,815 individuals were charged with “sale/manufacture,” a category that includes virtually all cultivation offenses.
Regionally, the percentage of marijuana arrests was highest in the Midwest (62 percent of all drug arrests) and southern regions (56 percent of all drug arrests) of the United States, and lowest in the west, where pot prosecutions comprised only 40 percent of total drug arrests.
In 2007, the FBI reported 872,721 marijuana prosecutions in the United States, the highest total on record.
64 Responses to “Incarceration Nation — Marijuana Arrests For Year 2009 Near Record High”
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[...] clear our intention to see marijuana legalized and regulated along the lines of alcohol, law enforcement comes down harder and harder on nonviolent, low-level [...]
[...] clear our intention to see marijuana legalized and regulated along the lines of alcohol, law enforcement comes down harder and harder on nonviolent, low-level offenders. There is hope. Seattle, whose voters in 2003 made minor [...]
Every one who ever went through a drug program was told the that insane was to keep on doing the same while expecting a different out come. As you go along feeling good about yourself looking down on pot heads while your children are dying on legal drugs.
How many of you are so ashamed of your kids as you raise your grandchildren. So ashamed that you say nothing as they come in and out of your grandchildren life showing them the ins and outs of doing their drug of choose. I know a woman that son got addicted, she raised her grand daughter. She grew up to know same dealer and now her granny is raising her great grand child.
You keep your secrets and maybe all of them will die soon. Their children are being born with problems that will fill up our jails. To rob, kill, rape means nothing to these people.
We all love our children but as a group none are protecting the young. There is a point when the truth must be told. Everything I was ever told was a lie.
[...] clear our intention to see marijuana legalized and regulated along the lines of alcohol, law enforcement comes down harder and harder on nonviolent, low-level offenders. There is hope. Seattle, whose voters in 2003 made minor [...]
My husband and me were busted for weed in 2010. This July it will be a year and we are still going thru bull.
[...] be sure, considering that most of the hard data on marijuana use comes from a survey conducted by the very government who throws nearly a million people in jail every year for smoking pot), it seems odd to me that anyone who doesn’t live under a fucking rock would [...]
You know…I think that now is the time. We are facing a landmark election, where both sides of the debate (and how messed up is it that we only have two sides!?) stand to gain by supporting hemp and marijuana law reform. Here’s a way to cut federal spending that hasn’t been fully explored.The republicans, the tea party anyway, is all for shrinking the reach of the federal governement, and the dems can’t come out hardlining the issue without abondoning their base. Both sides need to create a viable jobs solution by cutting government spending while creating jobs. Presented correctly I would like to see this issue hit the mainstream under the title of Job Creation.
this is why we need to have a nation-wide demonstration thats going to tell the federal government “ENOUGH”. every stoner, supporter, and sympathizer needs to grab an O and walk down to D.C. and demand the ‘change’ that was supposed to happen. When will you realize that weed wont be legalized unless the feds are backed up into a corner. The fact is we need to force it through. we shouldnt be afraid of the government. the government should be afraid of us.
this is why we need to have a nation-wide demonstration thats going to tell the federal government “ENOUGH”. every stoner, supporter, and sympathizer needs to grab an O and walk down to D.C. and demand the ‘change’ that was supposed to happen. When will you realize that weed wont be legalized unless the feds are backed up into a corner. The fact is we need to force it down these bastard’s throats. we shouldnt be afraid of the government. the government should be afraid of us. you want it THAT BADLY? get your ass up off the couch and TAKE IT
[...] billions of dollars a year, while arrests for simple possession are still made in staggering numbers — over 850,000 in 2009 and showing no signs of slowing down. So who is for and against [...]
I wonder how this compares to other countries. Say, the UK or Spain…or Australia. How do we compare to other countries, that keep (somewhat) reliable statistics?
[...] Freedoms Violated Nearly half of drug possession arrests in the United States last year were for marijuana possession charges. For decades statistics show a [...]
I am over 20 years’ clean and sober. This means I no longer smoke pot. That does not mean, however, that everybody else should not smoke pot. Most of my life I have failed to understand why good people without my problems can’t go out and smoke reefer. It’s cheaper to grow than tobacco and it’s less dangerous than tobacco. The Liberal Party of Canada is finally making noises that will legalize it. Considering your President and a number of your former Presidents are former cokeheads, I personally don’t see what the big deal is. And it is a crime that all those good people are behind bars or carrying records. Good luck, potheads!
[...] the mid 1960′s, the war on marijuana users has grown exponentially with an average 2 arrests per hour in 1965 nation wide, to 97.5 an hour in 2010. Approximately 52 [...]