Number of Federal Cannabis Prisoners Has Decreased by 61% Over the Past Five Years

Recently, the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reported that the percentage of people incarcerated in federal prisons for marijuana convictions dropped 61% between 2013 and 2018. This data was featured in an article titled “” published on July 13th.Sentencing decisions for people in federal prisons for drug offenses from 2013 to 2018”

BJS Director Dr Alexis Piquero explained that the reduction in people in prison for cannabis-related convictions is the most significant reduction compared to other substances. “He has seen a drop in the number of people in federal prisons for drug crimes in five years, but he still accounts for a large percentage of people in federal prisons for drug crimes — nearly half. [Federal Bureau of Prisons] Protecting the BOP in 2018,” he said. pickero. “At the same time, we also saw differences depending on the type of drugs involved, with heroin and methamphetamine leading to more people being imprisoned, and marijuana and cocaine leading to fewer people being imprisoned.”

Over the same period, imprisonments for crack cocaine decreased by 45%, imprisonments for powder cocaine decreased by 35%, and imprisonments for opioids decreased by 4%. Meanwhile, heroin increased by 13% and methamphetamine by 12%.

The majority of those incarcerated in these prisons have been convicted of trafficking, and far fewer are on possession charges. In 2013, 94,065 people were detained in federal custody for trafficking, but only 548 were in federal custody for possession or “other drug” offenses. In 2014, 92,378 people were trafficked and up to 581 were in possession, a slight decrease, while in 2015 there were 88,386 people in trafficking and 525 in possession.

But the biggest change happened in 2016. Human trafficking continued to decline, but federal prison inmates fell to just 150. Only 54 prisoners remained in prison for possession in 2018, less than 0.1% of all inmates.

The report also includes gender, racial and ethnic breakdowns by drug offenses through the end of 2018. Regarding cannabis, 19.3% of inmates were white, 18.4% black, 59.3% Hispanic, and 1.8% Asian/Native Hawaiian. /Other Pacific Islanders, and 1.3% American Indians/Alaskan Natives. Of these prisoners, 95.1% were male and 4.9% were female.

While there are clear trends in cannabis incarceration declines and progress in legalization across the United States from 2013 to 2018, data from 2018 to the present are scarce and until further information becomes available. will take a while.

Data from other government agencies also contribute to the picture.of march, the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) presented federal drug trafficking data for 2022. The report showed that while cannabis cases fell from 5,000 in 2013 to 806 in 2022, cases involving other substances such as cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine increased.

After President Joe Biden announced in October that he would pardon those convicted of federal marijuana use, the USSC said 6,577 people could be pardoned.

In March, the U.S. Department of Justice finally launched its own pardon certificate application for those seeking amnesty for low-level federal cannabis convictions. “On October 6, 2022, the President announced a full, unconditional and firm pardon for federal and DC past crimes of simple possession of marijuana,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. “The presidential pardon has removed barriers to housing, employment, and educational opportunities for thousands of people with criminal records. instructed the ministry.”

States have also worked to amnesty for marijuana convictions over the past year. In November 2022, Oregon Governor Kathy Brown granted nearly 5,000 pardons for minor cannabis convictions. California Governor Gavin Newsom pardoned 10 people, but only two were convicted of cannabis-related convictions. By the start of the year, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe had pardoned 2,500 people, 400 of whom had recorded nonviolent marijuana convictions.

Recently, Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced that he wanted a pardon for psychedelic convictions. “So anyone with a criminal record that is now considered legal can have it expunged and it won’t hinder future employment opportunities,” said Polis at the Psychedelic Science Conference in Denver. said Mr.