From: [j n r] at [cinenet.net] (Jim Rosenfield)
Newsgroups: alt.law-enforcement,alt.crime,ca.news,alt.medical,alt.drugs,alt.drugs.culture,alt.drugs.hard,alt.drugs.pot,rec.drugs.cannabis,rec.drugs.misc,rec.drugs.psychedelic,talk.politics.drugs,talk.politics.libertarian,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Marijuana Arrests Reach All-Time High
Date: Fri, 24 Nov 95 01:48:41 GMT
November 23, 1995
New FBI Report Reveals:
1994 Marijuana Arrests in United States Reach All-Time High at 481,098
CONTACT: Chuck Thomas, director of communications,
Marijuana Policy Project..........................202-462-5747
An estimated 481,098 marijuana arrests were made by state and local
authorities throughout the United States in 1994, according to an FBI report
made available this week. [1] This is the highest total in United States
history, according to other data provided by the FBI Office of Uniform Crime
Reports. [2]
The second highest marijuana arrest total -- 471,930 -- was in 1981,
when reported marijuana usage rates were more than double the present rates.
[2,3]
Of the 481,098 marijuana arrests in 1994, about 83.7% (402,717 arrests)
were for "possession." Only 16.3% (78,381) were for "sale/manufacture," which
includes all cultivation offenses (even for personal use) and often includes
possession of an amount large enough -- usually more than an ounce -- that
"intent to deliver" is inferred (even though it may have actually been
intended for personal use). [1]
"With the addition of the 1994 arrest data, the total number of
marijuana arrests in the United States since 1965 is now more than 10
million," said MPP Director of Communications Chuck Thomas. "The government's
policy of arresting and incarcerating hundreds of thousands of marijuana
consumers has not stopped marijuana use or abuse. It's time to stop wasting
police resources and prison space. Responsible adults should be allowed to
grow and consume small quantities of marijuana in the privacy of their own
homes."
1. _Crime in the United States: 1994_, FBI Uniform Crime Reports;
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1995; Pp. 216-217.
2. Data print-outs from FBI Office of Uniform Crime Reports (e.g.,
"Estimated Drug Abuse Violations Arrests, 1979-1993") and _Crime in
the Unites States_ volumes for 1975-1979, 1992 and 1993.
3. _National Household Survey On Drug Abuse: Main Findings 1993_,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration;
Rockville, MD: SAMHSA, 1995; Pp. 33-34. (In 1993 -- the most recent
year for which full data are available -- 4.9% of youth ages 12-17
and 11.1% of young adults ages 18-25 reported having used marijuana
during the "past month." In contrast, 11.9% of youth and 27.8% of
young adults reported past-month marijuana use in 1982. (No data were
collected for 1981.)
Addendum: More than 17% of the U.S. federal prison population is composed of
marijuana offenders. For details, please see the Marijuana Policy Project's
_Marijuana Arrests and Incarceration in the United States: Preliminary
Report_, which will be released on December 1, 1995, and available on the
World Wide Web at http://www.mpp.org/~mpp/.
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: FBI Office of Uniform Crime Reports....202-324-5015
****************************************
HOW TO SUPPORT THE MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT:
To support the MPP's work and receive the bimonthly newsletter, "Marijuana
Policy Report," please send $25.00 annual membership dues to:
Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
P.O. Box 77492
Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C. 20013
202-462-5747 TEL
202-232-0442 FAX
[M P Project] at [AOL.COM]
http://www.mpp.org/~mpp/
-- end --
Jim Rosenfield [j n r] at [cinenet.net]
tel: 310-836-0926 fax: 310-836-0592
Website -> http://metro.turnpike.net/~jnr/