Location: Cannabis and the Law / Articles
USA Facts and Figures
Compiled by Clint
Some numbers regarding the USA's useless war on weed: Federal policies, arrests, punishments and opinions
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There have been over seven million cannabis arrests in the United States since 1993.
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800,000 people are arrested on marijuana charges each year, and nearly 90% of these are for possession only. These arrests make up half of all drug arrests in the US.
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60,000 individuals are incarcerated for marijuana charges, costing taxpayers $1.2 billion annually.
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Cannabis users are arrested at the rate of 1 every 42 seconds.
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About 88% of all marijuana arrests are for possession - not manufacture or distribution.
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The US government spends $7.5 billion annually to arrest individuals for marijuana violations, and $10 billion to prosecute them.
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According to TIME Magazine/CNN poll, 80% of Americans support medical marijuana, and 72% think marijuana possession should be punishable byu fines instead of jail.
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33 states and Washington, D.C., home to 70% of the U.S. population, have laws on their books that allow or are otherwise favorable to medical marijuana, but federally, marijuana is still categorized in Schedule I, the most tightly controlled category of illicit drugs, and the federal war on marijuana continues.
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Punishments for marijuana-related convictions include eviction from public housing, loss of federal financial aid for college, and loss of welfare benefits
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Federal agents continue to raid medical marijuana hospices, arresting AIDS, cancer and other terminally individuals in states where voters have overwhelmingly supported the medical use of marijuana
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Police arrest more Americans per year on marijuana charges than for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
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