There were over one million drug related arrests in 2020, according to the FBI’s most recent data. Of those, cannabis sales and possession arrests were approximately 30 percent of the total number of arrests, around 350,150. A majority of the cannabis arrests, 91 percent, involved possession. This equates to a cannabis related arrest happening every 90 seconds across the U.S. in 2020, with drug-related arrests happening every 27 seconds.
This is about a 36 percent decrease in arrests surrounding cannabis from 2019 to 2020. In 2019, cannabis related arrests happened every 58 seconds. Part of the decline in 2020, the FBI speculates, came from the Covid-19 pandemic. There were less people out and about.
However, cannabis legalization and decriminalization had a large factor in this decrease as well. Illinois legalized recreational cannabis at the beginning of 2020. Plus, Hawaii, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Virginia all decriminalized cannabis possession in 2019 and 2020. With cannabis possession at the bottom of the list of concerns for law enforcement, cannabis arrests are naturally going to decrease.
Even with this decrease, cannabis arrests still outnumbered the number of murder, rape, robbery, burglary, fraud, and embezzlement arrests combined. Keep in mind, not all local police districts participate in the FBI reporting program, so all numbers are estimates. Activists are hopeful that as this downward trend continues, law enforcement will have more resources to deal with these crimes of violence and theft.
Response
Many agree that declines in arrests for nonviolent crimes like cannabis possession have broadly beneficial effects, but more needs to be done. “As more states move toward the sensible policy of legalizing and regulating cannabis, we are seeing a decline in the arrest of non-violent marijuana consumers nationwide,” NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri explained. “The fight for legalization is a fight for justice. While these numbers represent a historic decline in arrests, even one person being put into handcuffs for the simple possession of marijuana is too many.”
Cannabis arrest numbers have already decreased almost 50 percent since their highest spike in 2008. And with federal legalization sitting in Congress’ hands, there could be an even bigger decrease. Hopefully Congress will vote soon. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.
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