Marijuana arrests for sales and possession in the Show Me State have risen more than 19% over a three-year period from 2014 to 2016 – totaling 22,462 in 2016, according to newly released national crime figures from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Possession-only arrests in Missouri have increased 20.789% in the same three-year period. In 2014 possession arrests were 17,615. In 2015 they rose to 19,577 and in 2016 they topped out at 21,277.
Arrest for sales of marijuana were lower. In 2014 sales arrests were 1,242. For 2015 they were 1,246 and in 2016 sales arrests were 1,185. Check out the spreadsheet of figures compiled by Jon Gettman, associate professor of criminal justice at Shenandoah University here.
Missouri arrested a total of 58,469 individuals for possession of marijuana as reported by the FBI from 2014 to 2016. The sheer number of marijuana arrests catapults Missouri into the filth place out of the top five states in the US including Texas, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Fortunately, in the future Missouri citizens facing low-level possession charges no longer face the threat of jail time, as per legislation enacted on January 1, 2017.
Under the new Missouri Criminal Code 2014 Revision, marijuana offenses involving the possession of ten grams or less face a fine, but not incarceration. Those found guilty of possessing greater amounts, however, face up to one year in jail.
The FBI reported just under 531,000 marijuana arrests in 2016, the most recent year for which data is available, an estimated 12 percent of arrests occurred in Texas. (Marijuana arrest data for the states of Florida, Illinois, and Washington, DC were not reported that year.)
Other states citing 20,000+ marijuana arrests in 2016 include Tennessee and Virginia.
Take a look at the top 5 states from a story by Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of NORML — the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He is the co-author of the book, Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? (Chelsea Green, 2013) and the author of the book, The Citizen’s Guide to State-By-State Marijuana Laws (Whitman Press, 2015).