FBI Says Nearly One in Four Drug-Related Arrests Are for Marijuana Possession

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According to data released by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer, law enforcement made over 200,000 marijuana-related arrests in 2023, representing nearly a quarter of all drug-related arrests.

The updated database reveals at least 217,150 arrests for marijuana violations in 2023, a slight drop from the 227,108 arrests reported in 2022. Notably, 84 percent (200,306) of those arrested last year faced possession charges only.

This number is likely an underestimate due to gaps in reporting. In 2022, 17% of agencies — representing 25% of the US population — failed to submit data. In 2023, the FBI received reports from agencies covering over 90 percent of the population.

Additionally, the FBI recorded 53,490 arrests in 2023 for “unspecified drug abuse violations.” It’s unclear what percentage, if any, involved marijuana.

In total, about 25% of all “specified” drug-related arrests in 2023 were for cannabis.

Marijuana arrests peaked in 2007, surpassing 870,000, with 48% of drug-related arrests attributed to marijuana violations. However, changes in how the FBI collects crime data since 2021 make comparisons with prior years difficult.

“While there has clearly been a longterm decline in the total number of marijuana-related arrests nationwide, it is discouraging that there are significant gaps in the available information,” said NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano. “At a time when voters and their elected officials nationwide are re-evaluating state and federal marijuana policies, it is inconceivable that government agencies are unable to produce more explicit data on the estimated costs and scope of marijuana prohibition in America.”

In addition to the incomplete FBI data, Armentano acknowledged that annual data on federal marijuana arrests and seizures by the US Drug Enforcement Administration and its partners has not been provided for 2023. That data is typically published by the DEA in the spring of the following year.

He added, “Nonetheless, even from this incomplete data set, it remains clear that marijuana-related prosecutions remain a primary driver of drug war enforcement in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to be arrested annually for low-level cannabis-related violations even though a majority of voters no longer believe that the responsible use of marijuana by adults should be a crime.”

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