Working to Reform Marijuana Laws The NORML Almanac of Marijuana Arrest Statistics Hawaii Marijuana Arrests Marijuana Arrests 1995 2002 Summary Marijuana Possession Arrests 2002 Demographics Marijuana Sales Arrests 2002 Demographics Marijuana Arrests by County 1998 2002 The NORML Almanac of State Marijuana Statistics Introduction The NORML Almanac of Marijuana Arrest Statistics provides detailed data on the distribution and composition of marijuana arrests to supplement the analysis and data contained in NORML s 2005 report Crimes of Indiscretion Marijuana Arrests in the United States The data used for these tables were produced by the Uniform Crime Reports UCR program of the Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation Local police agencies report data to state agencies which compile and report it to the national program office Some local agencies do not participate in the program and neither do some states Florida Illinois and Washington D C did not report data to the UCR program in 2002 though some Illinois data was obtained directly from the state for this report This report relies on two UCR data sets UCR County Level Detailed Arrest and Offense Data have been used to generate state and county level arrest totals and rates generally for the years 1995 to 2002 County level data are reported along with codes that indicate 9 categories of population sizes Generally the largest arrest rates reported are for small jurisdictions with significant numbers of arrests of non residents such as in a popular vacation area The UCR Age Sex and Race file has been used along with US Census population data to produce arrest rates by demographic category for marijuana possession and sales arrests in 2002 The four categories used for race based data in the UCR program are White Black Indian Native American and Asian The race based data are also subdivided by general age group adult juvenile and all Age sex data are presented in two formats The primary presentation utilizes five year age categories for males females and both Age sex data are also presented using single year categories for age 15 to age 24 to highlight the impact of marijuana arrests on these specific age groups All arrest rates reported in these tables are per 100 000 population Some arrests rates may vary due to differences in the data sets for example the arrest rate for possession derived from the county level file may be 200 while the same arrest rate derived from the age sex and race file may be 192 Data reported in these tables may also differ from reports from state criminal justice agencies UCR files are frequently updated at the state level State sections include the following additional data marijuana arrests as a percentage of drug arrests marijuana arrests as a percentage of all arrests the 2002 Census population 2002 reporting coverage for demographic data and the maximum state penalties for possession or sale of 1 ounce of marijuana Marijuana arrests as a percentage of all drug arrests indicate the resources marijuana offenses take away from other drug control efforts Marijuana arrests as a percentage of all arrests provide an index of the cost of marijuana enforcement in a state the percentage of all arrests indicates a general percentage of overall criminal justice costs that can be attributed to marijuana The maximum penalties indicate the potential severity of punishment for marijuana offenses these data also help characterize the potential cost of state marijuana laws under conditions of maximum enforcement National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Jon B Gettman Ph D Page 1 The NORML Almanac of State Marijuana Statistics Key to Almanac Tables Marijuana Arrests 1995 2002 Source Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data County level Detailed Arrest and Offense Data Computer File population This figure is calculated by dividing the coverage population by the census population for a region Poss Max The maximum penalty for possession of 1 ounce of marijuana All Both adults and juveniles Adults Age 18 and older Juvenile Under age 18 Arrests Total marijuana arrests possession and sales arrests combined Rate The arrest rate per 100 000 for all marijuana offenses is calculated by dividing the number of arrests by the coverage population and multiplying the result by 100 000 Pct of Drug Arrests The percent of drug arrests represented by marijuana arrests This figure is calculated by dividing the number of marijuana arrests by the number of all arrests for drug offenses Pct of All Arrests The percentage of all arrests represented by marijuana arrests This figure is calculated by dividing the number of marijuana arrests by the number of arrests for all criminal offenses Sales Max The maximum penalty for sales of one ounce of marijuana Arrest Rate The arrest rate per 100 000 population calculated by dividing the number of arrests by the population served by the arresting police agencies and multiplying the result by 100 000 Adults Individuals age 18 and older Juveniles Individuals under the age of 18 Rate The demographic composition of coverage populations has been estimated using U S Census data and used to calculate arrest rates for marijuana offenses per 100 000 population for specific demographic groups Arrest Pct The percentage of arrests for the offense accounted for by the demographic group Pop Pct The estimated percentage of the regional population accounted for by the demographic group Marijuana Sales Possession Arrests 2002 Source Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data Arrests by Age Sex and Race Computer File Population The total population estimated by the U S Census Ratio The ratio produced by dividing Arrest Pct by Pop Pct by the population percentage A group that accounts for equal shares of marijuana possession arrests and the general population will have a ratio of 1 0 Coverage The percentage of the total population represented by the coverage Page 2 www norml org The NORML Almanac of State Marijuana Statistics Marijuana Arrests by County 1998 2002 Source Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data County level Detailed Arrest and Offense Data Computer File Population Size Nine categories are used to distinguish counties of similar population size Special circumstances are more likely to disproportionately affect arrest rates in counties with smaller resident populations such as high numbers of vacation visitors for beach and mountain resort areas Arrests Total marijuana arrests possession and