Marijuana Arrests at Record Level
New figures released by the FBI this week show marijuana arrests are now at an
all time high. More than seven-hundred eighty thousand people were arrested last
year for marijuana violations. That’s over forty percent of all drug arrests in
the United States. Almost nine in ten were arrested for possession. Allen St.
Pierre of NORML - The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
said: "Arresting hundreds of thousands of Americans who smoke marijuana
responsibly needlessly destroys the lives of otherwise law abiding citizens… It
makes no sense to continue to treat nearly half of all Americans as criminals
for their use of a substance that poses no greater health risks than alcohol or
tobacco.”
Democracy Now! September 20, 2006