NEWS: Marijuana arrests for 2008 = 847, 864

9-14-2009

For the full  and expert rundown please visit the NORML Blog post on this item.

The 2008 FBI Uniform Crime Rpeort was released today.

Personal Note- The pot arrest stat is a tough number...hard to get your head around for sure. I have been following this trend on the radio since 1998. The number of marijuana arrests are not actually printed anywhere. Each year the FBI compiles the annual Uniform Crime Report.

First of all, the number of drug arrests far outclasses any other violation with over 1.7million Americans arrested last year alone. To find the number for marijuana specifically, you need to look at tables of statistics. Marijuana trends above 40% of the overall drug arrests. By matching the percentages to the totals a number can be derived.

It has been the hard working policy advocates at NORML over the years who have discerned this formula and consistently released this particular data analysis to the public first.

Think about the ripple effect:  847, 864 people seeing judges, having attorneys, serving jail time, doing community service, getting remanded into drug treatment, spending time on probation or parole, violating parole, loosing jobs, loosing schooling and just simply getting driven down to a police station for a red-eye mugshot.

All of it having absolutely no impact on general use or the underground  market.

89% of the pot arrests were for simple possession. When data is teased out locally it is found that black men can comprise up to 90% of marijuana arrests (that was in New York city btw...).

The annual cannabis arrests really is a massive number. It is a painfully important number: 847, 864.

Marijuana prohibition represents one of the final bastions of institutionalized racism in our country and one of the most hurtful government policies in our history.

Yet even literally gunpoint, our society has embraced and celebrated cannabis in our modern time. Profound voices such as the recently health stricken Jack Herer have inspired millions who already fuel a great untapped reserve of pure business in this country.

The marijuana law reform movement has seen significant political victories. The movement has more than paid its grassroots, state capital and beltway dues. With continued public support (most state and national polling trends above 70% in favor of cannabis reforms) this issue could see some visible national change soon.

We deserve to offer the well proven health and wellness alternative of cannabis therapies nationwide.

We deserve to invoke the core civil values of our Republic  and stop dropping the anvil of our criminal justice system down upon nearly 1 million of our fellow men and women.

We deserve to use this great resource rather than abuse those among us who already know the truth.

This ball is in play and it's in our court. Get involved: Be NORML.