March 27, 2015 4:06PM

Steep Drop in Colorado Marijuana Arrests

By Adam Bates

A new report from the Drug Policy Alliance details a steep decline in the number of marijuana arrests in Colorado and remarks on the beneficial effects.


The key points:

  • Since 2010, marijuana possession charges are down by more than 90%, marijuana cultivation charges are down by 96%, and marijuana distribution charges are down by 99%.
  • The number of marijuana possession charges in Colorado courts has decreased by more than 25,000 since 2010 — from 30,428 in 2010 to just 1,922 in 2014.
  • According to raw data from the National Incident‐​Based Reporting System, drug‐​related incidents are down 23% since 2010, based on a 53% drop in marijuana‐​related incidents.
  • In 2010 the top five Colorado counties for marijuana possession cases were El Paso, Jefferson, Adams, Larimer, and Boulder. Marijuana possession cases in those counties all dropped by at least 83% from 2010 to 2014.
  • Marijuana distribution charges for young men of color did not increase, to the relief of racial justice advocates wary of a “net‐​widening” effect following legalization. The black rate for distribution incidents dropped from 87 per 100,000 in 2012 to 25 per 100,000 in 2014.
  • Racial disparities for still‐​illegal and mostly petty charges persist for black people when compared to white people, primarily because of the specific increase of charges for public use combined with the disproportionate rates of police contact in communities of color. The marijuana arrest rate for black people in 2014 was 2.4 times higher than the arrest rates for white people, just as it was in 2010.
  • The report also reveals a decline in synthetic marijuana arrests, presumably because people are less likely to use synthetic marijuana when marijuana itself is no longer criminalized.

According to Art Way, Colorado state director of the Drug Policy Alliance:

It’s heartening to see that tens of thousands of otherwise law‐​abiding Coloradans have been spared the travesty of getting handcuffed or being charged for small amounts of marijuana. By focusing on public health rather than criminalization, Colorado is better positioned to address the potential harms of marijuana use, while diminishing many of the worst aspects of the war on drugs.