February 20th, 2006, 11:32
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Join Date: 2001
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Marijuana Possession Arrests Fuel Drug War
February 16, 2006 - Washington, DC, USA
Washington, DC: Marijuana possession arrests have increased dramatically over the past decade and now cost taxpayers an estimated $4 billion annually, according to a study published in the February issue of the Harm Reduction Journal.
Researchers at the Sentencing Project in Washington, DC found that arrests for marijuana offenses, primarily simple possession, increased by 113 percent between 1990 and 2002, while drug arrests for non-marijuana offenses increased by only 10 percent. Authors further noted that this dramatic increase in annual marijuana arrests coincided with a significant decline in arrests for cocaine and heroin offenses. Today, nearly 50 percent of all drug arrests are for marijuana-related offenses; less than 30 percent of drug arrests are for cocaine and/or heroin.
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