By FBI Data Reveals Scale of Arrests
State and local law enforcement made over 200,000 marijuana possession arrests in 2025. These arrests comprised approximately 23 percent of all drug arrests nationwide. The data was compiled by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
It was posted on the FBI Crime Data Explorer website.
Police made at least 218,152 total arrests for marijuana-related violations last year. This total is an underestimate because approximately 13 percent of law enforcement agencies failed to report their arrest data to the FBI for 2025. The total also fails to calculate how many cannabis-related arrests are included in unspecified drug abuse violations.
Most of those arrested were charged with low-level marijuana possession. Specifically, police made 200,960 marijuana possession arrests in 2025. The other 17,192 marijuana-related arrests were defined as sales or manufacturing.
These totals are up from 2024, when police made approximately 204,000 marijuana-related arrests.
Official Response to Enforcement Trends
NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano commented on the continued high volume of prosecutions. He stated that marijuana-related prosecutions still remain a primary driver of drug war enforcement in the United States. This observation was made in a statement regarding the new FBI data.
Armentano noted that hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to be arrested annually for low-level cannabis-related violations. He added that a majority of voters no longer believe that the responsible use of marijuana by adults should be a crime. This sentiment was part of his official response to the statistics.
He described the criminalization of cannabis as a terribly destructive policy that disrupts lives and has lasting consequences. Armentano argued that low-level marijuana offenders should not be saddled with an arrest or a criminal record. He emphasized that this behavior is legally regulated in nearly half the states in this country.
State Level Breakdown and History
Texas leads the nation in marijuana-related arrests with over 29,000 cases in 2025. This accounts for approximately 14 percent of the national total. Ninety-eight percent of those arrested in Texas were charged with simple possession.
Under Texas law, low-level cannabis possession is classified as a criminal misdemeanor.
Four other states reported more than 11,000 marijuana possession arrests in 2025. Georgia reported 11,238 arrests while North Carolina reported 11,830. Tennessee reported 11,194 arrests and Wisconsin reported 11,470.
By contrast, five states reported fewer than 100 marijuana possession arrests.
Alaska reported 92 arrests and Maine reported 96. Montana reported 35 arrests while Rhode Island reported 99.
The FBI reported 858,852 arrests nationwide for drug-related offenses in 2025.
