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--- Begin Message ---
Newest figures show a continued waste of society's resources in the culture
war.
Skywolf.
_____
From: Allen St. Pierre [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]org ]
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 3:09 PM
To: NORML News
Subject: Marijuana arrests reach all-time high
<http://www.norml.org > <http://www.norml.org/ > NORML.org
<http://www.norml.org >
September 18, 2006
<http://www.norml.org/images/ >news/ezine_ subtitle. gif
<http://www.norml.org > norml.org
>From NORML.ORG:
Marijuana Arrests For Year 2005 -- 786,545 Tops Record High Pot Smokers
Arrested In America At A Rate Of One Every 40 Seconds
Washington, DC: Police arrested an estimated 786,545 persons for marijuana
violations in 2005, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
annual Uniform Crime Report
<http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/ > , released today. Thearrests/index. html
total is the highest ever recorded by the FBI, and comprised 42.6 percent of
all drug arrests in the United States.
"These numbers belie the myth that police do not target and arrest minor
marijuana offenders," said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, who
noted that at current rates, a marijuana smoker is arrested every 40 seconds
in America. "This effort is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources
that diverts law enforcement personnel away from focusing on serious and
violent crime, including the war on terrorism."
Of those charged with marijuana violations, approximately 88 percent some
696,074 Americans were charged with possession only. The remaining 90,471
individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture," a category that includes
all cultivation offenses even those where the marijuana was being grown for
personal or medical use. In past years, roughly 30 percent of those arrested
were age 19 or younger.
"Present policies have done little if anything to decrease marijuana's
availability or dissuade youth from trying it," St. Pierre said, noting
young people in the U.S. now frequently report that they have easier access
to pot than alcohol or tobacco.
The total number of marijuana arrests in the U.S. for 2005 far exceeded the
total number of arrests in the U.S. for all violent crimes combined,
including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated
assault.
Annual marijuana arrests have more than doubled since the early 1990s.
"Arresting hundreds of thousands of Americans who smoke marijuana
responsibly needlessly destroys the lives of otherwise law abiding
citizens," St. Pierre said, adding that over 8 million Americans have been
arrested on marijuana charges in the past decade. During this same time,
arrests for cocaine and heroin have declined sharply, implying that
increased enforcement of marijuana laws is being achieved at the expense of
enforcing laws against the possession and trafficking of more dangerous
drugs.
St. Pierre concluded: "Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers
between $10 billion and $12 billion annually and has led to the arrest of
nearly 18 million Americans. Nevertheless, some 94 million Americans
acknowledge having used marijuana during their lives. It makes no sense to
continue to treat nearly half of all Americans as criminals for their use of
a substance that poses no greater - and arguably far fewer - health risks
than alcohol or tobacco. A better and more sensible solution would be to tax
and regulate cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco."
YEAR MARIJUANA
ARRESTS
2005
786,545
2004
771,608
2003
755,187
2002 &nbs! p;
697,082
2001
723,627
2000
734,498
1999
704,812
1998
682,885
1997 &n! bsp;&nbs p;
695,200
1996
641,642
1995
588,963
1994
499,122
1993
380,689
&nbs! p;1992&n bsp;
342,314
1991
287,850
1990
326,850
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive
Director, at (202) 483-5500. For a comprehensive breakdown and analysis of
US marijuana arrests, please see NORML's report: "Crimes of Indiscretion:
Marijuana Arrests in the United States," at:
http://www.norml.org/index. cfm?Group_ ID=6411.
NORML <http://www.norml.org > and the NORML Foundation
<http://www.norml.org/index. > : 1600 K Street NW, Suitecfm?Group_ ID=3380
501, Washington DC, 20006-2832
Tel: (202) 483-5500 . Fax: (202) 483-0057 . Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]org
<http://www.norml.org/index. >cfm?Group_ ID=7002
Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids
<http://www.normlaudiostash.com/ >
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