NATIONWIDE,
POLICE MAKE MORE ARRESTS FOR MARIJUANA THAN FOR VIOLENT CRIME in 2012
One Drug Arrest Every 20 seconds in US; A
Marijuana Arrest Every 42 Seconds
New FBI Numbers Reveal Failure of "War on
Drugs"
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FBI released a new report today showing that nationwide, police in the U.S. conduct one drug arrest every 20 seconds and one marijuana arrest every 42 seconds. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of police, prosecutors, judges and other law enforcement officials opposed to the war on drugs, pointed to the figures showing almost 750,000 marijuana arrests and more than 1.5 million total drug arrests in 2012 as evidence that no matter how aggressively we conduct it, this is a war that can never be won.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FBI released a new report today showing that nationwide, police in the U.S. conduct one drug arrest every 20 seconds and one marijuana arrest every 42 seconds. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of police, prosecutors, judges and other law enforcement officials opposed to the war on drugs, pointed to the figures showing almost 750,000 marijuana arrests and more than 1.5 million total drug arrests in 2012 as evidence that no matter how aggressively we conduct it, this is a war that can never be won.
"These numbers
represent a tremendous loss of human potential. Each one of those arrests is
the story of someone who may suffer a variety of adverse effects from their
interaction with the justice system,” said LEAP executive director Neill
Franklin, a cop for 34 years. “Commit a murder or a robbery and the government
will still give you a student loan. Get convicted for smoking a joint and
you’re likely to lose it. This is supposed to help people get over their drug
habit?”
"Every time a
police officer makes an arrest for drugs, that's several hours out of his or
her day not spent going after real criminals. As the country has been investing
more and more of its resources into prosecuting drug 'crime,' the rate of
unsolved violent crime has been steadily increasing. Where are our priorities
here?" asked retired lieutenant commander Diane Goldstein, another LEAP
speaker.
Today's FBI report,
which can be found at
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/persons-arrested/persons-arrested,
shows that 82.2 percent of all drug arrests in 2012 were for possession only
and 42.4 percent of all drug arrests were for possession of marijuana (88% of
all marijuana arrests).
Marijuana arrests
were down slightly this year from 2011, but arrests for all drug abuse
violations increased. This is perhaps reflective of the growing number of
communities who have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use.
Law Enforcement
Against Prohibition (LEAP) is a group of more than 100,000 law enforcement
officials and other supporters who, after fighting the war on drugs, now
advocate for its end.
# #
#
