Marijuana Arrests Outnumber Those for Violent Crimes, Study Finds

Marijuana Arrests Outnumber Those for Violent Crimes, Study Finds

Arrests for possessing small amounts of marijuana exceeded those for all violent crimes last year, a new study has found, even as social attitudes toward the drug have changed and a number of cities and states have legalized its use or decriminalized small quantities.

And a disproportionate number of those arrested are African-Americans, who smoke marijuana at rates similar to whites but are arrested and prosecuted far more often for having small amounts for personal use, according to the study. The arrests can overwhelm court systems.

Why hasn't this police culture changed yet? People shouldn't be arrested for this plant anymore. Why are police focusing so heavily on this plant instead of violent crimes? Clearly the stoner rhetoric of the 1980's and earlier hasn't gone away yet.

With marijuana use on the rise, law enforcement agencies made 574,641 arrests last year for small quantities of the drug intended for personal use, according to the report, which was released Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch. The marijuana arrests were about 13.6 percent more than the 505,681 arrests made for all violent crimes, including murder, rape and serious assaults.

The report comes in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott last month in Charlotte, N.C. Mr. Scott, 43, had attracted police attention in part because, the police said, he was smoking marijuana.

Seriously. This is bull#. I really hope that the next President makes this into an issue during their Presidency, because at this point relying on Obama to get this fixed isn't going to happen.

Sure most of these arrests are catch and release but that's still not acceptable. Just getting arrested can destroy your life with court costs, job prospects, social problems, or any other number of complications from it.

People arrested for marijuana possession or other minor crimes often have a more difficult time finding work, including Cory, 31, who declined to give his last name out of concern his comments could affect his parole. He said in an interview that he had failed to find a job after 14 months in a Louisiana prison for his fifth offense involving a small quantity of drugs.

Tess Borden, a fellow at Human Rights Watch and the A.C.L.U., who wrote the report, found that despite the steep decline in crime rates over the last two decades — including a 36 percent drop in violent crime arrests from 1995 to 2015 — the number of arrests for all drug possessions, including marijuana, increased 13 percent.

The emphasis on making marijuana arrests is worrisome, Ms. Borden said.

“Most people don’t think drug possession is the No. 1 public safety concern, but that’s what we’re seeing,” she said.

Seriously? This is the kind of behavior that breeds contempt for the police. If you are wondering why urban dwellers all hate the police these days, THIS is one of the reasons. But regardless, there are white people and rural residents arrested for pot too. This issue should resonate with the whole country. Why doesn't it?

Because our politicians are owned by the pharmaceutical companies and other special interests that actually control policy.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Marijuana Arrests Outnumber Those for Violent Crimes, Study Finds

Thank God!!!!!....have you seen this!!!!


You ok wit debauchery and madness? I'm not!!!!!

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
Seriously. This is bull#. I really hope that the next President makes this into an issue during their Presidency, because at this point relying on Obama to get this fixed isn't going to happen.

Politicians aren't going to make it a priority, not without our help.

Hillary might do as she promises, which is actually a problem as she wants to hand the industry over to Big Pharm and the FDA (which to me screams the FDA will become more militarized for raiding all the various 'legal' shops & such across the nation).

I'm disappointed BLM didn't (and wont) make reforming the WOD their central rally cry. They could have done some real good if they had. They could have been heroes.

a reply to: olaru12

You know it!
Once
Twice
I uh... lost count...

Maybe if it's illegal they shouldn't smoke it.
That would probably stop the arrests for possession.


Stupid law? Yep
Try to change the law. It will happen eventually.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

If politicians were smart...(insert punchline here)

If TPTB realized that legalization and a fair tax on over the counter cannabis could reduce crime and bolster revenue then overcrowding of prisons could be reduced. TPTB associate cannabis with thuggery and crime but that is not always the case and if handled correctly nation wide legalization could work. The problem is the third party prison system and the governments thirst for revenue from said prisons.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

$5k per year per prisoner...

Yeah...
Don't see them letting this go, ever.

Why hasn't this police culture changed yet?

The alcohol, tobacco and big pharma lobbies run the gubment. The police state 'apparatus' are beholden to them, not the people.

I love living in Colorado

how's that freedom treating y'all?

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Why hasn't this police culture changed yet?

Because people are to distracted with BS issues , lies , and not concentrating on the RIGHT issues.

Then believing their party and candidate have the answers despite numerous decades of nothing changing under their parties control.

Also the political cheerleaders willingness to overlook their party and candidates BS and concentrating on the issues of the other party versus their own party which they can influence.

Just about EVERYTHING the corrupted gov't does is for the benefit of special interest not the people or society despite their rhetoric.

Cops soul actually have to do their jobs, for starters.

Actual police work and investigations, which isn't going to happen.

It's much easier (especially in urban cities) to plant and pop a kid for some bud to get that quota than it is to actually help society.

originally posted by: Hazardous1408
a reply to: Krazysh0t

$5k per year per prisoner...

Yeah...
Don't see them letting this go, ever.

Well that's the thing. Most of these arrests result in people spending the night in jail, they pay their bail, then go to court and get some sort of unsupervised probation. They don't even necessarily go to prison. Unless its for very large amounts of pot (and even then they get off; I have a buddy that got off for 20 pounds of pot in Nebraska).

On top of that, only about 20% of federal criminals are in for-profit prisons. and most of those criminals are in there for being illegal immigrants.

originally posted by: Lysergic
I love living in Colorado

how's that freedom treating y'all?

Right, the freedom to drive 6 hours for a otherwise 1 hour drive because the mountain roads were never designed to handle the mass immigration of morons?

Yeah, I Will stick to just visiting.

a reply to: Mandroid7

My life will go on.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
Maybe if it's illegal they shouldn't smoke it.
That would probably stop the arrests for possession.


Stupid law? Yep
Try to change the law. It will happen eventually.

I agree, it will happen eventually... mainly because theyll make sure the oomph in the seed stock or seedlings is crap compared to the more pure or specific strains have. Those would be reserved for pharmaceutical co formulations or commercial "pack n tax" items. Eventually anyway. Here in the 9th circle of Hell, Illinois, where I find myself for now.. many cops wont even bother arresting at all for even quantities that could catch a sales/distributing/trafficking/whatever charge. IMO its a kind of silent protest against the absurdity. I guess everything starts with baby steps.

a reply to: Lysergic

Not me, I might just die here without the overpriced market and people who haven't learned to shower yet.

a reply to: Advantage

It was changed here in Alaska... kind of. A year after everybody voted to stop doing stupid 1970's war on some drugs and legalize it the politics has spiraled out of control. Nobody knows what is or isn't legal or how to tax it. Nobody is trying very hard to straighten it all out either. And yes, because pharmies and alcohol do not want it competing with their product.

National Legalization, Possession, and Ownership is the only solution. And no Monsanto seeds! Ban those too!

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Trump wants to continue and expand the arrests, so does Chris Christie. Hillary wants to decriminalize it with criminal justice reform. Trump wants stop and frisk for all!!!

originally posted by: WilburnRoach
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Trump wants to continue and expand the arrests, so does Chris Christie. Hillary wants to decriminalize it with criminal justice reform. Trump wants stop and frisk for all!!!

Sure she will.