FBI: Marijuana Arrests Decline Significantly In 2015

Marijuana-related arrests in the United States have fallen to their lowest levels since the mid-1990s, according to data released today by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, police made 643,122 arrests for marijuana-related offenses in 2015. Of those arrested, 574,641 (89 percent of all marijuana-related arrests) were charged with marijuana possession only, not cultivation or trafficking.

US Marijuana Arrests

The annual arrest total represents more than a 25 percent decline since 2007, when police arrested a record 872,721 Americans for violating marijuana laws.

Since 2012, four states and the District of Columbia have legalized the adult use and possession of personal quantities of cannabis, leading to a dramatic decline in marijuana-related arrests in those jurisdictions.

As in previous years, marijuana possession arrests were least likely to occur in the western region of the United States, where possessing the plant has largely been either legalized or decriminalized.

According to 2016 nationwide survey data compiled by the Associated Press, some six out of ten Americans now say that the adult use of marijuana should be legally regulated.

24 thoughts

      1. And while federal representatives (just not their challengers) are on the norml scorecard, for states like Texas especially please pay attention to your representatives for state legislatures. This is easy to forget, but only state reps for state Congress are the people that can change state laws. Federal reps change federal laws. We need to get to know each of our district reps, state and federal by name and number.

  1. Marijuana means a lot of different things to a lot of different people; but for me, STOPPING THE ARRESTS is what marijuana legalization is all about.

    Stop arresting us. That is the moral imperative.

    Stop kidnapping our children. Stop stealing our cars and houses and possessions. Stop drug testing us. For God’s sake, stop shooting us, you worthless white maniacal butchers!

    Stop treating us like criminals! Stop arresting us. We are not criminals. You who would perpetuate this violence against us, whatever your motives may be — you are the criminals.

    1. Really?? “White maniacal butchers”? This is a group dedicated to marijuana law reform for ALL races, not an anti-caucasian hate group that riots when one of its own dies resisting arrest for a burglary yet remains indifferent when anyone else is affected by ACTUAL brutality. So maybe you are on the wrong blog.

      1. ?????; Agreed that “white maniacal butchers” doesn’t take into account that the asset forfeitures and kickbacks are motivations for racial bias in law enforcement to incriminate or even murder a black man for possession of marijuana even if the officer is black, such as the case was in Charlotte.

        However, with that kind of case fresh in mind, and now a cry out for mental health intervention turns into another cop shooting a black man while being tased, and all you can cite is a “burglury?” When we lose our temper, let’s correct ourselves with facts. It wouldn’t do us any harm to burden ourselves with a little research here. _\|/_

      2. Marijuana prohibition is fundamentally racist — It’s the new “Jim Crow Laws.” You knew that, right?

    2. Your racist rhetoric does nothing but detract from the real issue.
      All races should demand the end of prohibition.

      1. Is using the word “white” racist? No!

        Is marijuana prohibition racist against blacks? Yes! Is this a good reason to legalize marijuana? Yes.

        I reject your criticism. Sounds to me like somebody is a tad thin-skinned, if not white-skinned!

  2. Allows medical use of Full Grade marijuana for individuals with debilitating medical conditions as determined by a licensed Florida physician.
    Allows caregivers to assist patients’ medical use of Full Grade marijuana. The Department of Health shall register and regulate centers that
    produce and distribute Medical Full Grade marijuana for medical purposes and shall issue identification cards to patients and caregivers. Applies only
    to Florida law. Does not immunize violations of federal law or any non-medical use, possession or production of marijuana.[10] ”
    The patient must be a permanent Florida resident. If a patient is under the age of 18, a second physician must agree with the
    determination of need for the patient. This law allowed Full Grade medical marijuana use in the state of Florida
    Amendment 2 would legalize the use of Full Grade medical marijuana for treating specific diseases that can include symptoms other than seizures or spasms.
    Qualified caregivers and patients would receive identification cards and be registered with the Department of Health, as would marijuana dispensaries.
    The Miami Herald said, “Floridians have sent a signal they want Full Grade medical marijuana. For humanitarian reasons, voters should approve the measure this time around.
    More than 60 statewide marijuana-related initiatives were submitted for the 2016 ballot. The table below shows the marijuana-related measures that qualified for the 2016 election ballot

    1. The table below shows the marijuana-related measures that qualified for the 2016 election ballot.
      Support
      Yes on 2 – United for Care
      Yes on 2 – United for Care Facebook
      Yes on 2 – United for Care Twitter
      Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization, Amendment 2 (2016) Yup

      1. I hope fla. passes it by the crazy 60%
        Vote, I moved back to massachusetts when it didn’t pass in 2014. After living in fla. for 38yrs. Doctors in fla. were releasing me because I smoke marijuana, I have reduced my opiate intake by half here in Massachusetts,
        I don’t want to have to live in great white north for another winter if possible. (Lol). I miss living in paradise where the warmth helps my back,and if ammendment 2 passes, I’ll be able to use the very effective concentrates that will be available as well.
        I want come home to Florida. Get the word out vote yes on 2 !!!!

    1. Is that a reference to BLACKLIVESMATTER?
      Because, of course, they do.

      “# all marijuana matters” doesn’t really make sense. It sounds a lot like “all lives matter” which is the standard racist response to BLACKLIVESMATTER. BLACKLIVESMATTER is inherently true, and requires no further clarification or generalization.

      Perhaps you mean all marijuana users lives matter. But that would be as self-evident as BLACKLIVESMATTER, wouldn’t it?

      Try “Legalize it!”

      1. I wouldn’t police a post. It’s the thought that counts, a thought intelligent free people can reach no matter what it said. The person wasn’t looking for a fight.

      2. It’s important to stand up to racism.

        I’ve got nothing personal against The Aparent Outsider. I don’t claim to know his/her intentions. I’m glad they’re on board for Legalization.

        But “# all marijuana matters” is clearly a bit of bad word-play on BLACKLIVESMATTER (or rather, the standard racist response “all lives matter.”) It is disrespectful to those lost lives which made the BLACKLIVESMATTER movement necessary.

        Furthermore, marijuana prohibition and BLACKLIVESMATTER are directly related via police violence.

        Having said that, I stand down. I’m not looking for a fight either!

  3. Who ever was or is responsible for placing a non-violent “drug offender” in a prison should be placed in that prison and the “offender” released.

  4. What do these stats really reflect? Colorado arrests for mj have certainly dropped as have Oregon and other states which have legalized mj, but what about states like Alabama where if you go through a state program due to the arrest your record is cleared. It didn’t stop the actual arrest and thousands of dollars a victim had to spend or the time the victim spent in state brainwashing programs to turn them against mj, but did delete the arrest and personal criminal record. Could the powers that be have recognized that the stat of mj arrests is threatening to them and be trying to hide what’s really still happening? Again, what does that fbi stat really mean?

  5. Having so many people arrested for simple mj possession was a powerful motivator for legal change. This is 2016 and even people who don’t smoke mj know that’s just not humane or just. If facts can be spun or things changed to the point where lawmakers can say “nobody’s getting arrested for mj” then who will care about changing laws? What about the impact of ticketable offenses even if you’re not arrested? The fines. The program’s you are forced into. The jail time after even a couple of “tickets” for mj possession that don’t count as arrests for mj possession….. I still am uncertain about even the number reported in that stat. Stop and frisk programs have resulted in thousands of mj arrests. Are they included in that stat? I guess what counts is as long as Anything happens to someone because they have some weed it’s too much that hurts too many and only helps some fat cats get fatter.

  6. I wonder if this has anything to do with Lee Ann McAdoo and infowars broadcasted the booms thing.
    I’m guessing Republicans love hanging out at infowars and whining “Just say no to drugs okay Please!!” So I know all the Republican congress are on infowars while they are on vacation which is probably about right now looking at the conspiracies and saying “Please Just say no to drugs!!” while winking a Lee Ann McAdoo who personally I don’t find real attractive.
    But infowars is really distasteful in the last two days they were deleting my comments without me knowing until I added a response to my response and it said you can’t add a reply to a post that is not active, so I went out and in to reload the page and I’m nowhere. The problem is my internet is time limited like a phone and I’m just spending it for being invisible, so I left thinking ill of those people while they manipulate the religious sympathies of people to get Republicans elected.
    And I heard Jesse Venture on coast to coast with George Noory, he has a new book Jesse Ventura’s Marijuana Manifesto. He was great he was king.
    Jesse said he paid everybody a check while he was in government.
    It was a Wonderful heart warming freedom loving interview with friendly old Jesse.

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