FBI: Cannabis arrests on the rise for 3rd year running

By Janet Burns

The number of US cannabis arrests continued to climb last year, new federal data show, in spite of increasing legal and public approval for the plant.

Law enforcement made an estimated 663,367 cannabis-related arrests in 2018, according to FBI data released this week, up from an estimated 659,700 the previous year. That’s more than one cannabis arrest per minute in 2018—the same year a record two-thirds of Americans (66%) said they support legalization.

“These numbers are incredibly disheartening,” Sheila Vakharia, PhD, deputy director for academic engagement at the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a phone call with Leafly. “They’re not significantly different from previous years, despite the fact that we see states passing increasing and more progressive marijuana reforms, both as decriminalization and legalization.”

Read more from the source: Leafly.com

Photo: (FOTOKITA/iStock)