Justice Department Reports Federal Arrests For Marijuana Declined As The More States Legalize It

The US Department of Justice reported that federal marijuana arrests continue to decline as more states move to legalize cannabis.”

Cannabis busts dropped an average of 11 percent each year since 2010 when the DEA made 8,215 arrests,” reported Marijuana Moment.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, several factors generate a decrease in arrests, including the coronavirus pandemic which drove an "81% decline in arrests and a 77% decline in the cases charged from March to April 2020."

Furthermore, the federal U.S. Sentencing Commission (USCC), a bipartisan, independent agency located in the judicial branch of government, released a report in March, which found that federal prosecutions over marijuana dropped in 2021, with fewer than 1,000 people charged with cannabis trafficking cases.

Marijuana Reforms Reduce Racial Injustice

A study published by the American Medical Association in November 2021, revealed that states with legalized or decriminalized cannabis have seen large reductions in race-based arrests among adults. Researchers from Eastern Virginia Medical School and Saint Louis University analyzed data from 43 states and recognized a specific pattern indicating that removing or loosening laws around marijuana is connected to notable decreases in arrest rates compared to states that have kept cannabis illegal.

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