The November Coalition |
Report Shows Continued Arrests Near Record Levels While Use Rises
Marijuana arrests continued at near-record levels in 2011, the vast majority of which were for simple possession. According to the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report, 757,969 arrests were made nationwide for marijuana, more than 87 percent of which were for possession. This is a slight decrease from 2010.
Marijuana arrests accounted for slightly less than half of all drug arrests last year. In 2011, one American was arrested for marijuana possession every 42 seconds.
Despite intensive law enforcement resources being used to arrest and punish marijuana users, rates of marijuana use continue to rise. The “National Survey on Drug Use and Health” — commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and released in late September — showed that marijuana use had slightly increased nationally between 2010 and 2011. According to the report, more than 29.7 million people aged 12 and older used marijuana at least once in the past year.
MPP |
Rob Kampia, Marijuana Policy Project: “Arresting one American for marijuana possession every 42 seconds is an exercise in futility” |
“It’s obvious that decades of law enforcement efforts have failed to reduce the availability or use of marijuana,” said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. “Arresting one American for marijuana possession every 42 seconds is an exercise in futility, especially when one considers that marijuana is safer than alcohol.”
“A business that continues to employ bad policies will eventually fail, but taxpayers are being forced to continually bail out the fiscally irresponsible and morally bankrupt institution of marijuana prohibition,” Kampia said. “A majority of Americans are tired of this nightmare. It’s time for politicians to regulate marijuana like alcohol.”
A Rasmussen poll in May showed that 56 percent of voters supported removing criminal penalties for adult marijuana use and instead taxing and regulating the substance in a manner similar to alcohol. In November, voters in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon will have the opportunity to loosen marijuana prohibition in their states.