Fairfax, VA: Marijuana possession offenses cost Virginia taxpayers a combined $43.4 million per year for arrests and prosecution – a total that accounts for more than five percent of local law enforcement budgets, according to a new study by the George Mason University Center for Regional Policy Analysis.
“The cost of marijuana possession arrests diverts police resources from the investigation and prosecution of other crimes viewed with more severity by criminal justice officials,” authors determined. “[Also,] the cost of marijuana possession arrests are unevenly distributed throughout the state due to differences in local arrest rates and local law enforcement budgets.”
As a result, authors of the report recommend reclassifying first-time marijuana possession to a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by a fine and no jail time. In twelve states – Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon – the possession and use of small amounts of pot is no longer punishable by a criminal arrest and/or jail time.
Reclassifying marijuana possession offenses “will increase equity in sentencing, provide for more efficient use of state and local criminal justice funds, and reduce the introduction of young Virginians to the correctional system,” authors concluded.
According to the study, police arrested 11,384 Virginians on marijuana possession charges in 2001 at an average cost of $3,003. Among those arrested, 64 percent of arrestees were under age 25.
A similar state study released by Boston University in November estimated that the decriminalization of marijuana in Massachusetts would produce an annual savings in law enforcement resources of approximately $24.3 million annually.
“At a time when most state government’s are facing severe budget crises, it is highly appropriate for legislators to give strong consideration to the idea of decriminalizing marijuana,” NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation at (202) 483-8751. Full text of the George Mason University study, entitled “Estimation of the Budgetary Costs of Marijuana Possession Arrests In the Commonwealth of Virginia,” is available online at:
http://www.gmupolicy.net/cra/forecasts.htm
NORML’s “Marijuana Decriminalization Talking Points” are available online at NORML’s website at:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3381