Marijuana arrests fell 36% in 2020, FBI data shows

Marijuana arrests fell a staggering 36% in 2020, new FBI data shows.

After 545,602 cannabis-related arrests in 2019, law enforcement agencies in the United States made 350,150 cannabis-related arrests in 2020. The new data was released as part of the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report for 2020.

The good news: last year, around 195,000 more Americans lived their lives free from police harassment, arrest, and detention compared to 2019.

The bad news: More than 350,000 Americans were unnecessarily arrested last year. Cannabis is now legal for all adults in 18 states and Washington, DC. All but 12 states allow medical marijuana in some form.

About 91 percent of those arrested for cannabis were held for possession only. More than 300,000 Americans have been arrested for an act (simply possessing a plant) that is legal in 18 states. An estimated 50% of all cannabis arrests occurred in the northeast.

Eric Altieri, Executive Director of NORML, put the data into perspective. “While these numbers represent a historic decline in arrests,” he said, “even one person handcuffed for simple marijuana possession is too many.”

The decline in arrests in 2020 could be a sign of the future as New Jersey and New York prepare to open their state-licensed marijuana industries in the coming year – and states like Pennsylvania seriously consider joining them upon ending the Join the ban on cannabis.

For a long-term look at national marijuana arrests, NORML created this chart tracing the data back to the 1960s:

Marijuana arrests in 2020 fell to 1990s levels. Data and graph courtesy of NORML.

Leafly Staff

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