Monday, September 24, 2007

Record High Marijuana Arrests Via NORML... Marijuana Arrests For Year 2006 [^] 829,625 Tops Record High...Nearly 15 Percent Increase Over 2005 September 24, 2007 - Washington, DC, USA Washington, DC: Police arrested a record 829,625 persons for marijuana violations in 2006, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, released today. This is the largest total number of annual arrests for pot ever recorded by the FBI. Marijuana arrests now comprise nearly 44 percent of all drug arrests in the United States. "These numbers belie the myth that police do not target and arrest minor marijuana offenders," said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, who noted that at current rates, a marijuana smoker is arrested every 38 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." Of those charged with marijuana violations, approximately 89 percent some 738,915 Americans were charged with possession only. The remaining 90,710 individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture," a category that includes all cultivation offenses even those where the marijuana was being grown for personal or medical use. In past years, roughly 30 percent of those arrested were age 19 or younger. YEAR MARIJUANA ARRESTS 2006 829,625 2005 786,545 2004 771,608 2003 755,187 2002 697,082 2001 723,627 2000 734,498 1999 704,812 1998 682,885 1997 695,200 1996 641,642 1995 588,963 1994 499,122 1993 380,689 1992 342,314 1991 287,850 1990 326,850 1:22:41 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []