Almost 90 percent of all marijuana arrests in 2014 were attributed exclusively to possession of the drug, though the average amount of weed for those possession charges was immediately unclear.
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As in previous years, marijuana possession arrests were most likely to occur in the midwest and in the southeastern regions of the United States.
“It’s tough to say why the arrests are up, especially considering the recent data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health that showed that really not all that much has changed in actual marijuana use patterns”, Marijuana Policy Project’s communication manager Morgan Fox told Motherboard.
What makes that figure seem even more unnecessarily high is that 88.42 percent of arrests were simply for possession, as opposed to sale and manufacturing. While murders, robberies, and burglaries dropped considerably, authorities across the country still apparently have an uncontrollable urge to arrest and prosecute nonviolent drug offenders.
“Aside from just the emotional trauma of being arrested and the potential danger of having to be in jail for any length of time with people who might be there for violent crimes, you’ve got a lot of collateral consequences”, Fox said.
Due to the falling number of arrests in the legal states, and given the rise in arrests nationwide, those in prohibition states are getting hit harder than ever before.
Legislation approved by voters in November and enacted on July 1 allows those over the age of 21 to legally possess up to one ounce of cannabis and/or to engage in the non-commercial cultivation of up to four marijuana plants (yielding up to eight ounces of marijuana). Place this in the context of the frequency of marijuana use and unequal enforcement of marijuana laws in the United States and it is enough to warrant legalization in every state under the label of a human rights violation.
Marijuana reform advocates were quick to denounce the uptick.
Tvert said that according to the FBI’s own data, more than 35 percent of murders remain unsolved, while the clearance rate for sexual assaults is less than 40 percent and for robbery and other property crimes under 30 percent.
Cannabis arrests are slightly up from 2013 despite the fact that American attitudes continue to become more supportive of legalization, according to polls.
The increase in arrests for marijuana possession past year came as the drug was legalized in both Colorado and Washington.
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There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers.
