Tom Angell writes about a NORML analysis of FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data showing that ten states **Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Indiana, Louisiana, and Alabama** accounted for roughly 60 percent of the 200,960 marijuana possession arrests nationwide in 2025, with Texas alone responsible for nearly 29,000. The data reveals that 92 percent of all cannabis incidents stem from possession, and marijuana arrests now constitute a quarter of all drug arrests, making it the most-enforced single substance.
- Louisiana had the highest share of total drug arrests from cannabis possession at 62 percent, and its governor recently signed a law jailing people up to one year for smoking within 2,000 feet of school property
- About 13 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies did not contribute data for 2025
- The FBI report contains internal inconsistencies, presenting three different totals for "Drug/Narcotic Offenses" (1,492,005; 1,656,774; and 1,958,377)
- Even in legalized jurisdictions arrests persist: Illinois reported 5,731 possession arrests and Washington, D.C. reported 1,336
- NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano noted that in nearly half the states, low-level marijuana arrests have "fallen nearly to zero"
- Louisiana had the highest share of total drug arrests from cannabis possession at 62 percent, and its governor recently signed a law jailing people up to one year for smoking within 2,000 feet of school property
- About 13 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies did not contribute data for 2025
- The FBI report contains internal inconsistencies, presenting three different totals for "Drug/Narcotic Offenses" (1,492,005; 1,656,774; and 1,958,377)
- Even in legalized jurisdictions arrests persist: Illinois reported 5,731 possession arrests and Washington, D.C. reported 1,336
- NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano noted that in nearly half the states, low-level marijuana arrests have "fallen nearly to zero"
