Report: Federal Marijuana Prosecutions Declining

Federal prosecutions for marijuana-related crimes fell significantly from September 30, 2018 to September 30, 2019, according to a recently released report from Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.

The 2019 end-of-year report finds that the number of federal defendants charged with cannabis-associated crimes declined by 28 percent. By contrast, total filings for drug crimes increased five percent over the same time period, totaling over 83,000 cases in 2019.

Separate data reported by the US Drug Enforcement Administration in July reported a decline in DEA-led marijuana seizures, but showed an increase in DEA arrests for marijuana violations in 2018. State-level arrests for marijuana violations have increased year-over-year since 2016, according to annual data reported by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Full text of the 2019 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary is online here.