The FBI says marijuana arrests in the United States declined in 2019 for the first time in four years, at a time when a national debate is taking place about the legalization and decriminalization of pot as part of criminal justice reform. Police arrested more than 545,000 individuals—mostly for marijuana possession—down from about 663,000 the year before, although this still represents a cannabis bust every 58 seconds. The FBI did not point to any particular factor for the decline, but noted that before 2016 there had been a consistent drop in marijuana arrests for roughly a decade.
Meanwhile, Governor Jared Polis of Colorado will mass-pardon more than 2,700 low-level marijuana convictions for possession of up to two ounces of pot, the current legal limit for medical marijuana users in the state. Colorado follows other states including California and Nevada that have pardoned low-level marijuana convictions and expunged criminal records. The Rosenthal Center supports decriminalization of marijuana while also strongly advocating for curbs on commercialization, as well as a moratorium on further legalization in order to determine the impact on public health and safety in legal-states.
And finally, in the run up to a national vote in New Zealand to legalize marijuana, the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has acknowledged that she has used pot in the past. As nearly 80 percent of New Zealanders say they have also consumed cannabis, there has been little reaction. It’s not clear, however, how the legalization vote will turn out as polls show the electorate is closely divided on the issue.