Marijuana Use Increases While Arrests Approach Record Levels, Reports Show

Marijuana Now Accounts for Half of All U.S. Drug Arrests, But Enforcement Efforts Have Done Nothing to Reduce Use.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - Marijuana arrests accounted for more than half of all U.S. drug arrests in 2009, while its use among Americans increased by 8 percent, according to two reports released this week by government officials.

According to the FBI’s 2009 Uniform Crime Report released yesterday, U.S. law enforcement made 858,408 arrests on marijuana charges — 88 percent of which were for possession, not sale or manufacture. Marijuana arrests peaked in 2007 at more than 872,000, and witnessed a slight dip in 2008 at 847,863.

Meanwhile, an annual report released today by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that 16.7 million Americans had used marijuana in the past month.

“It’s now more obvious than ever that decades of law enforcement efforts have absolutely failed to reduce marijuana’s use or availability, and that it’s simply an exercise in futility to continue arresting hundreds of thousands of Americans for using something that’s safer than alcohol,” said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project.

“Rather than criminalize millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens and waste billions of dollars that could be better spent combating violent crime and other real threats to public safety, it’s time we embrace sensible marijuana policies that would regulate marijuana the same way we do alcohol or tobacco.”

Source: Marijuana Policy Project, the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.

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Anonymous September 16, 2010 8:23 pm (Pacific time)

I heard this on the radio this morning and they blamed the increase on attempts to legalize medical marijuana. Pure propaganda from the anti medical marijuana people

Vic September 16, 2010 7:03 pm (Pacific time)

Anon...good you mentioned Portugal...they have legelaized ALL drugs and have seen reduced crime AND reduced drug use...seriously...check it out! Hopefully Mexico will do the same soon and pull the rug out from under the cartels.

Anonymous September 16, 2010 12:35 pm (Pacific time)

my last post did not relate very well to this particular article. Sorry..may I try again. I wonder why so many more arrests on simple possession, is does not make sense. How about this theory? asset forfeiture, private prisons, justification for police expansion, fines are big business to cash strapped states, plus the stimulus gave the states lots of money to expand police numbers.

Anonymous September 16, 2010 12:06 pm (Pacific time)

They dont want the competition. Same in Mexico, if the drug cartels do not go along and launder their money thru banks the CIA approves of, they get the cartels who do agree to kill the other cartels. And, the president of Mexico was not fibbing when he said "the guns are coming from America". The CIA runs the guns to Mexico. All of this is documented and proven. By the way, I am not putting down the U.S. government, I am just letting you know what they are doing. In closing: Portugal had a high drug problem, they legalized ALL drugs 8 years ago..It was a success. Research it

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