In 2018, cannabis offenses amounted to 40% of the 1.65 million total drug arrests in the U.S. The second-largest category of drug arrests involved “other” drugs (29%), followed by heroin, cocaine or their derivatives (25%) and synthetic or manufactured drugs (6%). See the original article on Pew Research
The total number of persons arrested in the United States for violating marijuana laws rose for the third consecutive year, according to data released by the FBI. Police made 663,367 arrests for marijuana-related violations in 2018. That total is more than 21% higher than the total number of persons arrested for the commission of violent crimes (521,103). […]
One concern that marijuana legalization opponents often voice is the fear that dispensaries will increase local criminal activity. But a new study found the opposite to be true. “The results imply that an additional dispensary in a neighborhood leads to a reduction of 17 crimes per month per 10,000 residents, which corresponds to roughly a […]
In mid-January, law enforcement authorities in Osage County, Oklahoma, believed they had on their hands the bust of a lifetime: 18,000 pounds of marijuana in a tractor-trailer. All that was needed was proof that the 18,000 pounds of “plant material” was, in fact, marijuana and not non-psychoactive, legal-to-ship-across-state-lines hemp. According to defense attorneys, only two of the […]
Vermont’s Supreme Court ruled last week that the smell of burned or burning cannabis is not legal grounds for police to initiate a search. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit against the state for the actions of a Vermont state trooper in 2014. After the ruling — passed down by Associate Justice Harold E. Eaton, […]
An end-of-year report by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts indicates that federal prosecution for cannabis crimes declined 19 percent in 2018. The news from the Supreme Court follows last week’s report that cannabis smuggling has declined significantly since the start of the cannabis legalization movement in the U.S. See the original article at Ganjapreneur
Last Dec. 5, Zeke Flatten, a former police officer now working in the cannabis industry, was driving south through northern California’s Sonoma County on US-101 when he was pulled over by Rohnert Park police. The officers, wearing green military-style fatigues without badges, insignia, or nametags, told Flatten they were with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, […]
Sunday night, California Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill into law that allows for the streamlined clearing of prior cannabis convictions. The new law, AB-1793, automates the convictions’ removal, which supporters of the bill hope will allow people to move forward with their lives. Cannabis convictions can keep people from accessing fundamental services like […]
A group of would-be thieves recently tried to snatch a stash of weed from a dispensary, but instead ended up stuck with jars full of oregano. According to witnesses, a group of teenagers drove a stolen van directly into the dispensary. From there, they reportedly stole jars of “herb” from the display windows. Authorities think […]
Donald Trump’s first year in office saw a slight bump in the total number of Americans arrested for marijuana. The number of arrests jumped to 659,700 in 2017, compared to 653,249 in 2016. According to FBI data released today, marijuana arrests composed over 40 percent of the 1,632,921 total drug arrests made by the 12,606 U.S. […]
The Conversation analyzed city-level data from states across the US and found that medical marijuana laws have little effect on violent or property crime in nearly all medical marijuana states. In the case of California, the crime rates actually show a substantial decrease of around 20%. The passage of medical marijuana laws offers researchers a […]
The operation of medical cannabis dispensaries is not associated with increases in either violent crime or property crime, according to the findings of a discussion paper published by the IZA Research Institute. Researchers affiliated with the RAND Corporation investigated whether the establishment of medical cannabis dispensaries in California affects local crime rates – including rates […]