US Marijuana Policies Lead to Hundreds of Thousands of Arrests a Year

image
Published: 30 May, 2013
1 min read

Despite being the most commonly used drug in the United States, with over 100 million Americans admitting to trying marijuana a least once, marijuana laws affect hundreds of thousands of people negatively every year.

In 2009, 858,000 people were arrested for marijuana-related offenses and in 88 percent of these arrests, the culprit was charged with possession only. In 2011, half of the 1.5 million arrests for drug-related offenses were for marijuana.

Not only are current marijuana policies affecting the hundreds of thousands of Americans who use marijuana, but these policies are costing an estimated $10 billion per year to the American taxpayers.

At a time when federal and state governments are cutting their budgets, should we reconsider marijuana policies?

The following infographic was provided by MacGregor & Collins, LLP.

Credit: MacGregor & Collins, LLP

US marijuana policies

You Might Also Like

Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....
30 Oct, 2025
-
1 min read
California Prop 50 gets an F
Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'
The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....
30 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
bucking party on gerrymandering
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read