The FBI reports a 36% decrease in cannabis-related cases from 2019 to 2020. Although it is worth nothing that these numbers represent a significant shift in policing behavior, the data also reflects that the number of arrests carried out for cannabis related behavior far outnumbered the total of arrests made for murder, rape, robbery, burglary, fraud, and embezzlement combined.
Also worth noting, these numbers are a projection based on data provided by participating local police agencies, as some choose not to participate in the FBI’s reporting program.
These arrest numbers are expected to continue to go down as legalization spreads across the United States, with states such as New York recently allowing cannabis to be smoked anywhere tobacco can be consumed.
