From Reason’s Jacob Sullum:
According to FBI figures released today, a record number of people were arrested for marijuana offenses in the U.S. last year: 771,605, compared to the previous record of 755,186, set in 2003 (which surpassed the earlier peak of 735,500, reached in 2000). Marijuana accounted for more than two-fifths of the 1.7 million drug arrests. As usual, the vast majority of marijuana cases (89 percent) involved possession, as opposed to cultivation or trafficking.
[Thanks to the Marijuana Policy Project for the tip.]
So if I’m understanding this correctly, 40% of all US drug arrests are for marijuana-related offenses, and 9 out of 10 of those arrests are for simple possession—meaning that in 2004 alone, US law enforcement made roughly 693,000 arrests for personal use marijuana possession.
Which, not to put too fine a point on it, but that’s just frickin’ insane.
Reached for comment, Jim Rich, Senior Vice President of Operations for Frito-Lay, Inc., called the uptick in marijuana possession arrests, “a total bummer,” adding that the new record number reveals, “like, a ginormous affront to personal freedom and shit.”
****
(h/t Radley Balko, who also points me to this story detailing how police in SWAT gear stormed the home of a Decatur, AL family and netted 8 grams of marijuana from non-violent offenders while gunning down two family dogs in the process—a necessary tactical maneuver, given that the weed, well… the weed can make you act all crazy like!)
Makes me glad I live in Alaska, where possession of marijuana for personal use is permitted (not that I’d actually do it, of course).
Actually, let me clarify. In Alaska:
1) It’s illegal to grow marijuana
2) It’s illegal to sell marijuana
3) It’s illegal to buy marijuana
4) It’s illegal to transport marijuana
BUT
If less than two ounces of weed manages to magically appear in your home, you can toke away without fear, all thanks to RAVIN v. STATE, 537 P.2d 494 (Alaska 1975).
They’ve actually put referendums on the ballot to outright legalize pot twice that I know of. Both times it failed. But then again, every so often the legislature or governor will make noise about closing the Ravin loophole, and that never seems to go anywhere either.
Wait–what were we talking about again?
…netted 8 oz of marijuana...
I’ve always loved the coverage of drug busts in my local fishwrap. They would have assigned a “street value” of, oh, $450,000 or so for this amount of weed.
They found 8 grams, not 8 ounces. Big difference. You can get 8 grams from underneath Willie Nelson’s fingernails, if that’s all you’re looking for.
EIGHT GRAMS?!?
Well, that would only be worth $175,000 on the street in my town.
You can get 8 grams from underneath Willie Nelson’s fingernails, if that’s all you’re looking for.
Hell, sweep up the floor of his tour bus and weigh it.
TW: plant.
Yeah, the story says 8 grams, you’re right. I took the 8oz no. from Balko, who doesn’t have comments.
Good thing it’s grams, though. Otherwise these folks could have been arrested 3x in Alaska…
In Telluride, there’s actually an item on November’s ballot that, if passed, would require local law enforcement to “make policing marijuana offenses their very lowest priority.” As dopey as it sounds, this token reeferendum will probably pass.
And it’s high time it did, too!
SNAP!
“If less than two ounces of weed manages to magically appear in your home…”
Sounds like one of the Supreme Court’s obscenity cases, in which it upheld the state’s law against producing, selling, etc., but if you have it in your home, you’re okay. You know, ‘cause maybe it magically appeared there.
Oh, different story for kiddie pron, though. The Court actually realized there might be some production, sale and transportation of that stuff, which, unlike pot and barely legal, doesn’t magically appear anywhere.
Completely OT: Loved your interview at the pajamas media site, Jeff.
Even better than the made-up street values are the Highway Patrol’s yearly destruction figures. They include even the most vile, non-cultivated, unsmokable ditchweed, of which there is a huge amount in this state, in their totals.
So if they say they destroyed 200 tons of marijuana in a given year, perhaps six pounds of it was legitimate pot with an actual measurable THC content.
It’s all about the FUNDING!
TW: Yep, pot plants grow in the ground, alright.
I think recreational drug use is a very bad idea, but prohibition is worse. We’d all be better off if they legalized it, taxed it, and treated the dependent. Instead we fund terrorism and corruption of government officials, incent crime to feed addictions, and suffer the odd casualty from law enforcement errors and gang bangers fighting over turf as well as the cost of incarcerating offenders. The only thing as screwed up is giving aid to both sides in the Middle East, or selling weapons to our (non-Israeli) Middle Eastern allies. Oh, we do that too.
You are one of the very few, Kelly.
In fact, reaction was so muted that I’m suprised Pajamas hasn’t rescinded their offer.
If they were caught with 8g in Missouri, with the intent to sell, they could have been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Under 5g it would be 7 years. You can look up your state here.
In Willie Nelson’s beard, I meant. ‘Cuz you know, he’s got a lot of facial hair. What do his fingernails have to do with anything?
Ya know, it’s all very nice that this generally conservative and, if I may flatter, influential blog and the very intelligent and witty people who visit and comment here seem to think that this is stupid, it would be infinitely more valuable if you would speak to the wider world as well. Sotto voce, of course. Way too much money is wasted on this shit.
Word “steps” As in take the first one and scream.
I can’t speak for everyone, but when this subject arises, I certainly make my point of view known.
As dopey as it sounds, this token reeferendum will probably pass.
Wow, a threefer!
But I disagree with Webb; to be perfectly blunt, I think this reeferendum thing’s gonna go up in smoke.
It is so stupid. Part of me thinks that pot should just be legal. But on the other hand, I know how teens are with alcohol and they would certainly take pot being legal for adults as free for all for them. (yes, I know many do it now anyhow, but at great risk of being arrested)
Either make it a ticketed offense for everyone with minors having to pay a bigger fine. Or make it legal for over 21 and a big fine and ticket for underage.
I try every fall to convince the local bonfire brigade that ragweed is dope too, no luck so far.
tw=decision: based on allergies not politics
Here’s to more Toking Reeferendums – which clearly has something to do with sexual encounters while f#$&^*d up.
Make it legal for adults, and don’t just stop with pot. If we could clear all the nonviolent drug offenders out of jail there would be plenty more room for the violent offenders that should never be released.
The sole redeeming aspect of living in Seattle is that we have one of those laws officially establishing marijuana as the police’s last priority. When people are busted, the cops generally confiscate what they have and let them go, unless they have more than 2 or 3 ounces.
On the nose, corvan.
Makes me wanna rent a copy of Reefer Madness. First, I need to find my bong in the old boxes of college stuff. Think 22-year-old residue will be any good?
693,000 arrests for persona use, and yet:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051010/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/fbi_marijuana
Funny, but I never knew how much I hated pot until I finally came out of a twenty year (or so) alcohol buzz. Pot makes me so paranoid that I can’t even walk out my front door. (BTW, I am not against pot at all, I am only talking about my own experience).
I hadn’t smoked any pot for about nine years, when something came over me six or seven months ago, and I decided to try it out one more time. After two hits I was as blasted as I ever remember being. The old synapses must have been squeaky clean.
Anyway, as I shrank into my paranoia with my five year old’s X-box, he decided to come up and ask me a question.
All he had to do was say the word “Dad” (with thise big bunny eyes lasering through my soul), and the first thought that jumped into my mind was “Holy shit! I AM his f’ing father!”. What a scary thought, huh? Needless to say, I will never forget again why I stopped smoking pot.
As far as the rest of you, please enjoy. It is ridiculous to criminalize something that almost everybody I know partakes of. My only problem with it is that the teens who smoke it while their intellect is still developing may be doing some serious damage to themselves. I know that it didn’t do a whole lot for MY ambition.
Whatever. I just wish that our “protectors” would realize that pot is here to stay, and maybe act accordingly. I was good buddies with a DEA field agent (with the bullet holes to prove it)for a long time, and as gung-ho as he was, even he would think that a SWAT team is a little excessive for 8 grams of weed. Perhaps some day the people who wish to control your intake of pot will grow up and find something useful to do. ‘Til then – fuck ‘em.
Shh, don’t tempt fate Jeff, Roger’s been busy with The Manalo, he may have left his zap the app button in his other pajamas
“We’d all be better off if they legalized it, taxed it, and treated the dependent.”
Right, wrong, and wrong. Why does everyone think everyone will take drug legalization more seriously if they promise to tax the hell out of it? Drugs are good, taxes are bad.
And if you get hooked? Not my problem, pay for your own damn rehab.
I just hope they legalize damn sudafed again.
I guess that would be sending the “wrong message”…
And that’s just considering actual arrests.
Lemme tell you something. I’m a cop in Pennsylvania, and we’ve been told that, unless they’re distributing or selling, to just “look the other way” if somebody has a little bit of pot on them for personal use. Oh, sure, we take it and dump it down the nearest storm drain, but we don’t arrest for it. Unless the person did something else to warrant our attention, it which case it’s just kind of “piled on”.
Which, frankly, is just fine for me.
And, even then, unless it’s more then a “personal use” amount (say, a dime-bag or joint), it’s considered “Disorderly Conduct” and they just get a Non-Traffic Citation.
Let’s put it this way… I’ve never had anybody who toked up take a swing at me. Can’t say the same about some drunk in a bar.
SarahW, no kidding! Kee-ryst on a pogo stick! I guess I’m supposed to suffer my stuffy sinuses “for the children” or something. At least you can still get it if you pester the pharmacist at my local Walgreens. How soon before it vanishes from the shelves completely though?
Ironically enough, if pot was legal and readily available, there would probably be a lot fewer meth heads.
8 grams is about a quarter of an ounce. Never having bought any before (At least as far as the granters of my security clearance are concerned, anyways. Just kidding, guys. No, really. Hey!) I have no idea what the street value would be. Depends on the…um…err…quality, I guess. Not that I know anything about such things, but…screw it. I’d be not unpleased if marijuana were legalized for people who are of drinking age.
And…Dog? Your kid’s eyes creep me out, too. Bigtime.
..and if mass-produced amphetamines were still legal meth-heads wouldn’t have to use sudafed to get their high. But I think we already had that argument.
Sudafed is still legal in Georgia, as far as I know, but I do get carded at Wal-Mart buying WD-40 now.
Swear to God.
See, if drugs were legal kids wouldn’t have to huff.
THINK OF THE CHILDREN!
Hey, shall we fire up a rematch of THAT thread? Where’s Darleen?
Hmmmm.
1. Legalising pot will have unintended consequences. Imagine competitors trying to increase the amount of THC in their signature product. Then there are the various American laws that could be activated if pot were legal. Could being a pot smoker make you eligible for disability? Free housing? Other benefits?
The Netherlands is reviewing their legal stance on drug legalisation because of the secondary effects. They might continue with it. They might end it. But there’s no denying that legalisation of drugs has had a negative effect there.
2. Personally I’m really kind of neutral on legalisation. My personal belief is that everyone has a right to go to Hell in their own special personal way. The problem though is when other people have to pay the cost of having to deal with the effects.
Some people think drug legalisation is a good thing because drug addiction is a victimless crime. This of course ignores the crime addicts will commit in order to fuel their habit. And those costs do exist and would become more severe. It’s certainly possible that many pot smokers won’t graduate to harder drugs. It’s also certainly possible that someone with an addiction and a need to get high, might be willing to try something harder if pot wasn’t immediately available. When someone is yearning for a hit, sometimes the source isn’t so important.
I know a couple people who got hooked on heroin this way. No idea if they’re still alive or not.
…
There are a lot of pros and cons. I just think people should remember that the Law of Unintended Consequences can be a real cast iron bitch. Ultimately though we’re all responsible for ourselves. IMHO they should legalise drugs, but pass the necessary laws that if a person commits a crime to support a drug habit or while high, then that person goes away for at least 20 years.
ed – I’d argue that we’re seeing the unintended consequences of the drug war right now, but you’re right, they’re a bitch.
We already have laws against crime. If I commit a crime to feed a habit it makes no difference if that habit is legal or illegal.
“And those costs do exist and would become more severe.” Do you have proof of this? Everything I’ve read about Prohibition found virtually no increase in alcoholism after repeal, and a decrease in alcohol related cirme.
And…Dog? Your kid’s eyes creep me
out, too. Bigtime.
As they should. He’s reviewing your security clearance right now.
But murders hit a 40 year low. Or maybe not. Maybe they’re so busy chasing pot heads, that most bodies found with holes in them are written off as suicides/accidents?
Seriously, as a father of teenagers, I straddle that fence. Don’t want my kids on drugs, but as a libertarian minded type, I feel the govt. has no business in controlling what any adult puts in their body. And many billions later, we’ve proven that prohibition didn’t work on booze, it doesn’t work on dope. Decriminalize dope and we have a lot more jail room for violent offenders, more money/time to chase them. And the violence related to the drug business goes away.
“Crimes committed to feed a habit…” Yeah. All those crimes committed by tobacco and alcohol users, just to come up with the cash for their next pack.
“The problem though is when other people have to pay the cost of having to deal with the effects.” Like the billions we currently spend (waste) trying to keep people from using drugs?
The Law of Unintended Consequences. Oh yes. But there are none so blind as those who will not see.
TW: “ill”. It makes me ill to consider it.
(Jeff, just how does your turing word system come up with the words to use. It is just too uncanny too much of the time…)
When Sudafed is outlawed,
only outlaws will have Sudafed.
But on a slightly more serious note,
some of the worst legislation has come from
those who would protect us from ourselves.
Prohibition sucked, I’m sure.
The current drug hysteria helps to promote
absolutely uonstitutional laws, like
the civil forfiture. And let’s not forget the Rainbow Farm horror show which
was submerged only because it occured on 9/10/2001.
I also think that those folks who are all screwed up on drugs would be screwed up on something else, like booze, religious extremism or maybe extreme leftist politics, if drugs weren’t available. So why not legalize and regulate them. And while we’re at it, would somebody maybe dose the next International Answer confab with about 600 mics of acid per person?
But in the mean time, it is against the law. We talk about the rule of law and how we shouldn’t disregard it like the left does or would like to, because they don’t like it.
And in whose hands is what the law says supposed to be? Is someone advocating breaking the law here? Or changing it?
Funny how the libertarian right and the libertarian left, between the both can’t seem to budge the statist politicians off of the status quo though…
Desert Cat,
I wasn’t clear above I guess. I’m not implying anyone on this board is advocating breaking the law. I was speaking in general.
As for your question
How about the judiciary? Last time I looked, their function was to interpret the laws.
When enough folks get tired, fed up, whatever with incarcerating non-violent dope smokers, to reach a critical mass, you’ll see action.
…the cops generally confiscate what they have and let them go…
Cops always have the best dope, man. Everybody knows that. And this is why.
SB: more
…and when Sudafed is outlawed, I can get you as much as you want. $10 a hit.
Welcome to “Black Market Econ 101”
How about the judiciary? Last time I looked, their function was to interpret the laws.
How about the people? The Representatives we elect are supposed to represent our views. There’s an awful lot of inertia there though that doesn’t reflect the majority that are in favor of legalization of medical marijuana. Less so the currently sizable minority that is in favor of marijuana decriminalization in one form or another.
Even in the court system, how about the people? The jury is the final arbiter of the law as it is applied to individual cases. Most people don’t realize that when they are seated on a jury, it is up to them to apply the evidence and the law in whatever way that they believe justice will be served. If the jury believes a law is unjust in its application in the specific case, they have the right and the obligation to decide accordingly. Ever wonder why prosecutors seem to do everything in their power to keep non-violent drug offense cases from going to trial? Jury nullification is the penultimate defense against tyranny.
Fuck Sudafed. I want my Seldane back. A dollar a pill (Rx), and worth every penny.
As dopey as it sounds, this token reeferendum will probably pass.
Does this comment make me look like a fattie?
I dunno, those anti-marijuana ads are really scary. Now I’m afraid that if I smoke pot, I might forget to have lunch with my grandmother. I had no idea marijuana was so dangerous. (Unless maybe they’re overhyping the risks?)
When I see statistics like that, I just want to know more more more!
What marijuana laws were they arrested for? Because even if pot is legalized, that will come with a heck of a lot of regulations, just like alcohol does. Still can’t sell or supply to minors, can’t drive under the influence, can be arrested for public intoxication, etc etc etc.
I don’t see the marijuana laws being lifted any time soon, because its hard to argue it would benefit society in any way.
But yeah, arresting the otherwise law abiding citizen for having a little bit in his own home is stupid. Just like making anyone found with any getting rehab is stupid.
Finally, I think the US has plenty of social problems to tackle before lifting pot laws becomes high on my list.
When enough folks get tired, fed up, whatever with incarcerating non-violent dope smokers, to reach a critical mass, you’ll see action.
And unfortunately, we’re nowhere near that point yet. Despite what libertarian-leaning people believe, most people don’t think drugs should be legalized (don’t include me with this group, though, even though I’m not a user myself).
Maybe it’s due to government propaganda, but most people still believe that drugs are a scourge on our national psyche. It hits minorities harder, so minority leaders (squeaky wheels) will be most vehemently against drug legalization. And proper suburban white congress people don’t want their neighborhoods’ squeaky clean image tarnished by reports of suburban drug use. It’s kind of a double-whammy.
TV (Harry)
Harry is correct. Nowhere near half the population thinks drugs should be legal. I don’t know the stats, but I’m pretty sure that nowhere near half wants even pot to be legal.
MayBee – It’s not at all hard to argue that legalization would benefit society. Legalization of pot (and every other drug) would be a net good for many, many reasons, most of which have been mentioned in this thread or the one we had a couple months ago.
As far as your last point, try to imagine how much more time and money we’d have to throw at those social problems if we weren’t arresting over half a million people a year for pot possesion.
I already have figured out how to wipe cannabis off the face of the Earth – legalize it, then sit back and wait for the plaintiff’s bar in the US to annihilate any and all pot producers in a vertible hailstorm of litigation…so, be careful what you wish for.
If drugs go away, then the drug war goes away… So fine by me, Major John. I’m not a user, myself.
And I think you’re overstating the case a little. Alcohol has managed to hang on despite many, many lawsuits.
As a conservative who not only supports legalisation of marijuana, but also supports a 1/4oz per month habit, I’d say this story is likely a bit overblown. I’d suspect that most of the arrests were likely related either to conspicuous consumption or other charges. I’ve known a lot of dopers in my time, and I have to say that many of them are freakin’ stupid about marijuana consumption, like there’s something super cool about smoking in the Wal Mart parking lot or keeping a 4’ bong in a car. I’ve never known anyone to get busted while smoking at home, but I’ve known plenty who’ve gotten busted in their cars, in public restrooms, in parks, in class, in church (no shit, really), in bars, in clubs, in parking lots, on the sidewalk, etc.
Agree on the white neighborhood “squeaky clean” image thing. I got busted in March for having a dime bag and pipe I wasn’t even using after a search of the vehicle was conducted in a small-ass redneck town in Florida (driver was sober, but speeding). As far as possession laws and such, they have got to be the dumbest things if they are minute amounts like I had, and the reasons for lifting at least THIS aspect of weed laws (as opposed to illicit selling/poss. of large amounts) are much more compelling than keeping them on the books, if only for the tax dollars we would all save. I know exactly what it does, why I do it, not to do it in excess, and I would never do a public disservice EVER. This argument is something that should really take place but old politicians are still so bent on the “get a job, pothead hippie!” attitude that it will never change in this country anytime soon. The irony of all this? I’m in grad school specializing in IR with a concentration in global security and the Middle East. I could potentially really help us in the war on terror yet to some I would be any number of bad images. But hey, what do I know?
I don’t think it’s that hard to argue that it would benefit society in many ways. For all the caterwauling that the Left has done about the Patriot Act (of course, many of them voted for it, so that tells you just how smart they are), it’s not even in the ballpark with the “War on Drugs” in terms of its destructive impact on civil liberties. Civil forfeiture, no-knock warrants, the list goes on and on.
I can’t seem to find any numbers newer than 2000, for which combined federal, state, and local expenditures on combatting drugs were somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 billion dollars; nixing that might lower taxes a bit. OK, that’s unrealistic, they’d just spend it on something else, but still.
So $40 billion and my rights as a citizen back? I’ll take it.
TW: This is just wishful thinking, since the politicians and the bureaucrats are all in bed with each other on this one.
How scary can prison really be, with all these dopers locked up? Maybe it’s more Harold & Kumar instead of Oz.
TW: Gravity hits!
TW: Gravity hits!
Ah, man, college flashback. Anyone got a 2L Coke botlle?
Matt, there have been a lot of polls done over recent years. What I seem to recall is that somewhere between 60% and 80% of people in various polls think medical marijuana should be legal, and somewhere around 35% to 40% support some form of decriminalization of recreational use. About 4-5 years ago a decriminalization proposition was defeated in Arizona, albeit with support for the measure somewhere around those figures.
Does throwing hippies in prison keep them from voting? If so, how bad for society can that be?
The following is a real email I got in response from my attempt at engaging a member of the rock group “The Reagan Babies” in political discourse.
“What are you, like, a Jehova’s Witness of the right wing? I can see that you either want to understand my point or want me to understand yours. Open your eyes man. It’s all around you. Both the good and the bad. We can change the bad. Free yourself from all the crap someone fed you. You need to take a hit of LSD and stop looking at the world through the lens of the 50’s.”
I guess I should have been more clear. I think it’s hard to argue that pot is good for society, therefore I have a hard time seeing someone pushing the idea to legalize it.
As for decriminalizing the use of small amounts, that is fine by me.
But I don’t forsee a day when its use will come with no regulations. As with the example above of someone getting caught with it in a car– you would get in trouble for having an open bottle of beer in the car as well.
As for making it legal meaning the police will be more free to do other, more important things and that would cure all kinds of social ills…I’m not sure about that? Pot is illegal in many countries (is it legal anywhere?), and many don’t have the social problems the US does. Then again, many do. I don’t think it’s the cops going after pot smokers that is causing our troubles.
The Drug War is going to take an interesting turn come December. Bolivia is having its presidential elections on December 4 – Evo Morales, the candidate who leads by a substantial margin, has promised to legalize the cocaine trade if he is elected.
Mr. S**t, meet Mr. Fan…
Ed –
Legalising pot will have unintended consequences. Imagine competitors trying to increase the amount of THC in their signature product.
Not sure what your point is. With alcohol, people buy beer, wine, whiskey, or pure grain alcohol. People will by it as strong or as weak as they like.
Then there are the various American laws that could be activated if pot were legal. Could being a pot smoker make you eligible for disability? Free housing? Other benefits?
Then repeal these stupid laws too – don’t use them as a pretext to keep drugs illegal.
Some people think drug legalisation is a good thing because drug addiction is a victimless crime. This of course ignores the crime addicts will commit in order to fuel their habit.
The reason that they are stealing is because of the high prices caused by the black market.
Yet another of the many reasons I live in Amsterdam instead of back in CONUS…