“Marijuana Possession Arrests Exceed Violent Crime Arrests”
The title of this post is the headline of this new commentary at The Huffington Post. Here are excerpts from the piece from which I obtained the reprinted graphic:
Americans are shifting on marijuana. More than half of them think it should be regulated like alcohol and cigarettes, 18 states have passed legislation approving it for medical use and Washington State and Colorado have legalized it for recreational use, but it remains illegal under federal law. And the arrests continue — one every 42 seconds, and 86 percent of those are simply for possession, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.
In 2011, marijuana possession arrests totaled 663,032 — more than arrests for all violent crimes combined. Possession arrests have nearly doubled since 1980, according to an FBI report, while teen marijuana use recently reached a 30-year high.
President Obama said last month that going after recreational pot users in states where it is legal is not “a top priority” for his administration, which echoes a promise he made in 2008 not to interfere with states’ medical marijuana laws. Since then, his administration has aggressively targeted dispensaries that are in compliance with state law.
Taxpayers have shouldered the cost of arresting and incarcerating hundreds of thousands of people for the possession of marijuana, often in small quantities for personal use. Some national estimates put the annual cost of marijuana arrests above $10 billion, and low-level arrests for marijuana possession cost New York City alone $75 million in 2010. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed decriminalizing possession of 15 grams or less — even when flashed in public view — last week in his State of the State address.
A few recent and older related posts:
- Is new brain science now suggesting football is more dangerous than marijuana for kids?
- If force to choose, would you legalize marijuana or prohibit tobacco?
- Intriguing new comments from President Obama on federal pot prohibition policy
- Female voters seen as key to success of pot reform initiatives
- “Marijuana: A Winning GOP Issue?” … and a lost 2012 Romney opportunity
- How can and should we assess the “success” of medical marijuana and pot prohibition reform efforts?
- “California inspired — and now inspired by — other states’ marijuana legalization measures”
- “Neighbor states on guard against pot from Colo., Wash.”