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7/31/2019 Marijuana Possession Arrests in Colorado Study
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7/31/2019 Marijuana Possession Arrests in Colorado Study
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KeyFindings
MarijuanaPossessionArrestsinColorado
x MarijuanapossessionarrestsinColoradoincreasedfrom4,000in1986to
over10,000in2010,totaling210,000arrestsoverthepast25years.
x Inthefiveyearsfrom1986to1990,policeinColoradomade19,400
possessionarrests.Twentyyearslater,from2006to2010,policemade
55,900marijuanapossessionarrests,almostthreetimesasmany.
x From2001through2010,Coloradopolicemade108,000arrestsfor
possessingmarijuana,overwhelminglyofyoungpeople.Morethantwo
thirds(69%)ofthosearrestedwere25oryounger,79%were29oryounger,
and86%ofthosearrestedwereage34oryounger.
x Whites,mainlyyoungwhites,madeup63%ofthosearrestedinthelast
tenyears.BlacksandLatinos,alsomostlyyoung,were36%ofthearrestees.
x AlthoughyoungAfricanAmericansandLatinosusemarijuanaatlowerrates
thanyoungwhites,inthelasttenyearspoliceinColoradoarrestedLatinosat
1.5timestherateofwhitesandarrestedblacksat3.1timestherateofwhites.
x Inthelastdecade,blackswere3.8%ofColorado'sresidents,but10.5%ofthe
marijuanaarrests.Latinoswere19%ofthestate'sresidents,butaquarter
(25%)ofColorado'smarijuanapossessionarrests.
x Marijuanapossessionarrestscreatecriminalrecordseasilyfoundonthe
internetbyemployers,landlords,schools,creditagencies,licensingboards,
andbanks,erectingbarrierstoeducation,employment,andhousing.
Marijuanapossessionarrestsdonotreduceseriouscrimes,andtheytake
policefromothercrimefightingwork.
x Coloradoisoftensaidtobeamarijuanadecriminalizationstate,butsincethe
1970s,Coloradolawhasmadepossessionofsmallamountsofmarijuanaa
crime,aClass2PettyOffense.Failuretoappearincourtasorderedbya
summonsisanothercrime,punishablebysixmonthsinjailanda$500fine.
x Incountycourts,marijuanapossessioncarriesa$100fine.Inmunicipal
courts,however,judgescanimposefinesof$300ormore,charge$50per
monthinprobationfees,requireregulardrugtesting,andsendpeopleto
jailforseveraldaysiftheyhaveusedmarijuana.
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25 YEARS
Total # of
Marijuana
Possession
Arrests
1986-2010
10 YEARS
Total # of
Marijuana
Possession
Arrests
2001-2010
Average YearlyArrest Rate for
Marijuana
Possession
per 100,000 of
Population
2001-2010
Ten-Year
Average of
Population
2001-2010
Colorado 210,328 108,196 229 4,734,982
Denver 47,742 13,140 230 600,158
Arapahoe 23,470 11,989 205 614,677
El Paso 22,521 12,277 215 622,291
Adams 21,635 13,453 329 441,656
Jefferson 20,940 14,280 290 492,316
Boulder 11,208 6,460 221 304,384
Larimer 10,597 6,304 228 294,582
Mesa 7,580 4,583 343 146,723
Pueblo 7,511 2,769 181 159,063
Weld 5,704 3,666 162 247,701
Douglas 4,225 2,836 115 285,320
Eagle 2,645 1,336 272 53,128
Garfield 2,553 1,753 342 56,389
Broomfield 2,049* 2,049 435 55,889
La Plata 1,566 654 132 51,334
Montrose 1,432 734 193 41,276
Summit 1,429 574 224 27,994
Fremont 1,091 658 321 23,322
Morgan 831 525 410 15,324
20 LargestCounties
197,324 100,447 229 4,600,816
Marijuana Possession Arrests inColorado's 20 Largest Counties, 1986-2010
PreparedbytheMarijuanaArrestResearchProject,http://marijuanaarrests.com
Source:FBIUCRUniformCrimeReportsandUSCensus
*Note:Only20012010dataavailableforBroomfield
October2012
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25YearsofMarijuanaPossessionArrests
inColoradoandtheirConsequences___________________________________________________________________
Inthe25yearsfrom1986to2010,policeandsheriffs'departmentsinColorado
made210,000arrestsforthecrimeofpossessingsmallamountsofmarijuana.Duringthis
time,Colorado'smarijuanapossessionarrestswentfrom4,000to10,500peryear.Inthe
fiveyearsfrom1986to2010,policemade19,400arrests.Twentyyearslater,from2006
to2010,policemade55,900marijuanapossessionarrests,almostthreetimesasmany.1
AccordingtothemostrecentdatafromtheFederalBureauofInvestigationand
itsUniformCrimeReports,policemade108,000ofthesearrestsinthedecadespanning
2001to2010.Sixtyfivethousandpossessionarrestsweremadeinthestate'sfivemost
populouscountiesJefferson(14,280),Adams(13,453),Denver(13,140),ElPaso
(12,277),andArapahoe(11,989).Coloradoarrestspeopleformarijuanapossessionatahigherratethan24otherstates.2
3
Coloradoisoftensaidtobeamarijuanadecriminalizationstate,butsincethe
1970s,whenthestatereducedcriminalpenaltiestosomeextent,Coloradolawhas
madepossessionofsmallamountsofmarijuanaacrime,aClass2PettyOffense.A
personchargedwithpossessingmarijuanaisissuedasummonstoappearincriminal
court.Thecourtappearanceismandatoryandfailuretoappearisanothercrime,a
Class3Misdemeanor,punishablebysixmonthsinjailanda$500fine.4Fromthe1970s
until2010,thisappliedtolessthananounce;since2010ithasappliedtolessthantwo
ounces.5ItwouldbeamistaketothinkthatthesearrestsdonotcarrysignificantconsequencesforthethousandsofmostlyyoungColoradanswhogothroughthe
arrest,prosecution,andsentencingprocesseveryyear.
AClass2PettyOffenseinColoradoisacriminalchargehandledbybothcounty
andmunicipalcriminalcourtswhichhaveoverlappingjurisdiction.6Policedepartments
havediscretionastowhethertheychargeunderstateormunicipallaw,andinsome
municipalcourtsmarijuanapossessionispunishedmoreharshlythanincountycourts
wherestatelawapplies.InthecityofLakewood,forexample,possessionofasmall
amountofmarijuanacanbepunishableby$1,000andoneyearinjail.7Inmanycities,
municipalcourtstypicallyimposefinesof$300ormoreforafirsttimemarijuanapossessioncharge.Itisnotunusualformunicipaljudgestoplacepeopleonprobation
foruptosixmonths,chargethem$50permonthinprobationfees,requirethatthey
meetwithaprobationofficer,andsubmittoregulardrugtesting.8Somejudgessend
peopletojailforseveraldaysforfailingadrugtestformarijuana.9
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Themostseriousconsequenceofanarrestformarijuanapossessionisthe
permanentcriminalrecordthatsuchacasecreates.MostpeoplechargedwithaClass
2PettyOffensechoosetorepresentthemselvesratherthanpayforaprivate
attorney.Guiltypleasarethenorminthesecases,andguiltypleasarecriminal
convictions.Twentyyearsago,arrestandconvictionrecordswerepaperskeptincourt
storeroomsandwarehouses,oftenimpossibletolocate.Tenyearsagotheywere
computerized.NowtheyareinstantlysearchableontheInternetforfreeorfora
nominalfeethroughcommercialcriminalrecorddatabaseservices.10Employers,
landlords,creditagencies,licensingboardsfornursesandbeauticians,andbanksnow
routinelysearchthesedatabasesforbackgroundchecksonapplicants.Amajorityof
collegesnowcollectcriminaljusticeinformationonapplicantsforadmissionanda
drugconviction,nomatterhowminor,isviewedasanegativefactor.11Thestigmaof
acriminalrecordhascreatedbarrierstoemploymentandeducationforthousandsof
peopleinColorado.
ThesearrestsdiminishthelifechancesofthemostlyyoungColoradanswhoarecaughtwithsmallamountsofmarijuana,butthereisnoevidencethatthearrests
diminishtheoverallcrimerateormarijuanauserates.Therearenostudiesshowing
thatarrestsforpossessionofsmallamountsofmarijuanareduceseriousorviolent
crimes.12AndmarijuanauseratesinColoradohaveremainedrelativelystableinrecent
yearsdespitetheincreaseinpossessionarrests.13
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________________________________________________________________________________________________
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
2002-03 2004-05 2006-07 2008-09 2002-03 2004-05 2006-07 2008-09 2002-03 2004-05 2006-07 2008-09
Ever Used Marijuana in Life Used Marijuana in Past Year Used Marijuana in Past Month
Whites Blacks Latinos
207
185
191
203
203
202
211
204
188
178
197
315 2
62
274
293
288
299
325
319
310
291
298
786
763
791
710
732
517
522
502 4
59
434
622
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20012010
MarijuanaPossArrestRateofWhites
MarijuanaPossArrestRateofLatinos
MarijuanaPossArrestRateofBlacks
MarijuanaUsebyWhites,Blacks& Latinos,Ages18to25,20022009
MarijuanaPossessionArrestRatesofWhites,Latinos&BlacksinColorado
ArrestDataSource:BasedonUSCensusandFBIUCRdataadjustedwithproxymeasureforLatinosandnonHispanic
whites,20012010.Ratesper100,000ofeachgroup.
UseDataSource:USDeptHHS,SAMHSA,OfficeofAppliedStudies,NationalSurveyonDrugUseandHealth,20022010.20032005.Table1.80BMarijuanaUseinLifetime,PastYear,andPastMonthamongPersonsAged18to25,byRacial/EthnicSubgroups
20022003and20042005:http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k5NSDUH/tabs/Sect1peTabs67to132.htm#Tab1.80B.
20062010:Table1.26BMarijuanaUseinLifetime,PastYear,andPastMonthamongPersonsAged18to25
20062007:http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k7NSDUH/tabs/Sect1peTabs1to46.htm#Tab1.26B
20082009:http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k9NSDUH/tabs/Sect1peTabs1to46.htm#Tab1.26B
20092010:http://www.samhsa.gov/data/nsduh/2k10NSDUH/tabs/Sect1peTabs1to46.htm#Tab1.26B
MarijuanaArrestResearchProjectwww.marijuanaarrests.comOctober2012
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Age,RaceandEthnicityinMarijuanaPossessionArrests
______________________________________________________________________________________ InColorado,asthroughouttheUnitedStates,about60%ofpeopleage1825
havetriedmarijuana,about32%useditinthelastyear,andabout20%useditinthe
lastmonth.Thisisahigherratethanforanyotheragegroup.14
InColorado,aselsewhereinAmerica,mostpeoplearrestedformarijuana
possessionareyoung.From2001through2010,ofthe108,000peoplearrestedin
Coloradoformarijuanapossession:86%ofthemwereage34oryounger,79%were29
oryounger,and69%were24oryounger.Youngpeopleage1824weremostlikelyto
getarrestedforpossessingmarijuana.From2001through2010,Coloradoarrested
about85,000youngpeopleage29oryounger(79%of108,000)Inthelastdecade(20012010),Caucasians(orwhites)were72%ofColorado's
populationand63%ofthosewhopolicearrestedformarijuanapossession.Mostofthe
remainingpossessionarrestsinColoradowereofyoungAfricanAmericansand
Latinos.15
AfricanAmericans(orblacks)madeup10.5%ofthepeoplearrestedfor
marijuanapossessioninthelastdecade,butblackswereonly3.8%ofthestate's
population.InColorado,blackswerearrestedat2.8timestheirpercentageofthe
populationandat3.1timestherateofwhites.
Hispanics(orLatinos)madeup25.4%ofthepeoplearrestedformarijuana
possession,butLatinoswereonly19.2%ofColorado'spopulation.Inthelastdecade,
Latinoswerearrestedat1.3timestheirpercentageofthepopulationand1.5timesthe
rateofwhites.
AlthoughthemostlyyoungblacksandLatinoshavebeenarrestedformarijuana
possessionathigherratesthanwhites,theydonotusemarijuanamorethantheir
whitepeers.ManyyearsofU.S.healthsurveyshaveconsistentlyfoundthatyoung
whitesusemarijuanaathigherratesthandoyoungblacksorHispanics.
Thepreviouspagehastwographs.Thetoponeshowsmarijuanauseofyoungwhites,blacksandLatinosfrom2002through2009.Ineverycategoryeverused
marijuana,useditinthelastyear,oruseditinthelastmonththestudiesfoundthat
youngwhitesusedmarijuanaathigherratesthanyoungblacksorthanyoung
Hispanics.16
Thesecondgraphonthepreviouspageshowstherateofmarijuanapossession
arrestsper100,000ofeachgroupinColorado'spopulation.AsthroughouttheU.S.,
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blacksandLatinosinColoradowerearrestedathigherpercapitaratesthanwhites,even
thoughyoungwhitesusemarijuanaathigherratesthanyoungblacksandLatinos.
Onthenextpagearetwomoregraphs.Thetoponeshowstherateofmarijuana
possessionarrestsofwhites,Latinosandblacksinthefivemostpopulouscountiesin
Colorado,from2001to2010.ThesefivecountieshaveoverthehalfofColorado's
residents.Likethestatewideratesonthepreviouspage,itshowsthatineachofthelargestcounties,Latinoshavebeenarrestedathigherratesthanwhites,andthatblacks
havebeenarrestedathigherratesthaneithergroup.
ThesecondgraphonthenextpageshowsthepercentageofblacksandLatinosin
Colorado'spopulation,andalsothepercentageofblacksandLatinosinthestate's
marijuanapossessionarrestsfrom2001through2010.BlacksandLatinostogethermade
up23%ofthestate'sresidents,buttheywere36%ofthepeoplethatpolicearrestedfor
marijuanapossession.
Althoughthereisracialandethnicprejudiceeverywhere,wedonotthinkthat
thatmostracialdisparitiesinmarijuanapossessionarrestscanbeexplainedbyexplicitorovertpersonalprejudiceonthepartofindividualpoliceofficers.So,whydoesthis
happen?
Policedepartmentsincitiesandlargetownstendtodeploypatrolpoliceto
certainneighborhoodsorgeographicareasusuallydesignated"highcrime"or"crime
prone."Thesearedisproportionatelylowincomeareas,somewithconcentrationsof
Latinosandblacks.Itisintheseplaceswherethepoliceareassignedtomakemore
patrols,andwheretheystopandsearchmorevehiclesandindividualslookingfor
"contraband"ofanytypeinordertomakeanarrest.Oftenpatrolofficershavetomeet
formalorinformalmonthlyquotasofstops,arrests,andtickets.Theitemthatpeopleinanyneighborhoodaremostlikelytopossesswhichcangetthemarrestedisasmall
amountofmarijuana.Themarijuanapossessionarrestsareskewedbyclass,ethnicity
andraceinpartbecausepatrolpolicetendto"fish"forarrestsinneighborhoodswith
morelowincomewhites,blacksandLatinos.17
ItisimportanttorecognizethatcitiesandlawenforcementagenciesinColorado
havenotbeenimmunefromchargesofraciallyandethnicallybiasedpolicing.The
profilingofLatinosthoughttobeillegal"immigrantshasledtochargesof
discriminatorypolicing.18In2011severalcivilrightsorganizationsfiledacomplaint
withtheU.S.JusticeDepartmentallegingapatternandpracticeofpolicemisconduct
andcivilrightsviolationsbyDenverlawenforcementagainstAfricanAmericans.19Suchdiscriminatorytargetingofpeoplebasedontheirraceorethnicityisoneofthe
factorscontributingtodisparitiesinmarijuanapossessionarrestsinColorado.
8
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_________________ _________________ __________________ _________________ _________________ __________________ _________________ ____
435
538
635
669
372
261
226
273
420
306
176
150
241
262
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Adams
El Paso
Arapahoe
Denver
Jefferson
RateofMJPossArrestsofWhites RateofMJPossArrestsofLatinos RateofMJPossArrestsofBlacks
846
21%
22%
22%
23%
23%
23%
24%
24%
24%
24%
23%
35%
36%
36%
35%
36%
35%
35%
36%
37%
38% 36
%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20012010
PercentofBlacks&LatinosinPopulationofColorado PercentofBlacks&LatinosinColorado'sMJPossessionArrests
Source:USCensusData,andFBIUCRdataadjustedwithproxymeasureforLatinosandnonHispanicwhites,
20012010.Ratesper100,000ofeachgroup.
MarijuanaArrestProject,HarryG.Levine,JonB.Gettman,LorenSiegelOctober2012
PercentageofBlacksandLatinosinColorado'sPopulation and
PercentageofBlacksandLatinosinColorado'sMarijuanaPossessionArrests
RatesofMarijuanaPossessionArrests ofWhites,Latinos&Blacks,per100,000
ofeachgroup,inColorado's5CountieswiththeLargestPopulations,20012010
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Aboutthisreport________________________________________________________________________________________
"210,000MarijuanaPossessionArrestsinColorado,19862010"waspreparedbytheMarijuanaArrestResearchProject,NewYork,NY.TheMarijuanaArrestResearchProjectisdirectedby
HarryG.LevineandLorenSiegel.WeoftencollaboratewithJonB.Gettmanandother
researchers.Westudyrace,policepolicy,andthegrowingnumberofarrestsformarijuana
possessionandotherpettyoffenses.
Ourpublicationsrelyonpublicdataandonthefirsthandknowledgeofcurrentandformer
policeofficers,publicdefenders,judges,assistantdistrictattorneys,andotherswhoworkdaily
inthecriminaljusticesystem.Wehaveauthoredthreereportsonmarijuanapossessionarrests
inCalifornia,oneaboutarrestsinWashingtonState,andnumerousreportsandtestimony
aboutarrestsinNewYorkCityandState.Ourreportshavebeenpublishedinconjunctionwith
theDrugPolicyAlliance,theNewYorkCivilLibertiesUnion,andtheNAACP.Ourworkisinpartsupportedbygrantsandgiftsfromindividualsandfoundations,especiallytheOpenSociety
Foundations.Ourreportsandotherworkcanbefoundatourwebsite:
http://marijuanaarrests.com
OurresearchandwritingshavebeencitedineditorialsandnewsstoriesinTheNewYorkTimes,
theLosAngelesTimes,NationalPublicRadio,WNYC,AssociatedPress,NewYorkMagazine,
NewYorkDailyNews,theEconomist,ReasonMagazine,andmanyotherprintandonline
publications.Wecanbereachedat:[email protected].
HarryG.LevineisaprofessorofsociologyatQueensCollegeandtheGraduateCenter,City
UniversityofNewYork.Hehaswonawardsforhisresearchandwritingonthehistoryand
sociologyofdrugissues.
LorenSiegelisanattorneyandanindependentconsultantspecializinginmediaand
communicationsfornonprofits.Shewasformanyyearsthedirectorofpubliceducationforthe
AmericanCivilLibertiesUnion.
JonB.GettmanisaprofessorintheCriminalJusticeProgramatShenandoahUniversity,in
Winchester,Virginia.Hehasauthorednumerousreportsaboutmarijuanaarrestsandpolicy.
TheMarijuanaArrestResearchProjectisaprojectofCommunityStudiesofNewYork,Inc.,a
nonprofitresearchandeducationalorganizationfoundedin1993.Amongitsactivitiesis
runningtheInfoshareCommunityDataService(www.infoshare.org),whichcollectsandmakesavailableonapubliclyaccessibledatabaseafullrangeofNewYorkdataonpopulation,
immigration,employment,housing,healthstatus,crime,childcare,publicschools,landuse,
businesspattern,andothermatters.CommunityStudiesofNewYork,155West72ndStreet,
Suite402,NewYork,NY10023
Citationformat:HarryG.Levine,JonB.Gettman,LorenSiegel."210,000MarijuanaPossession
ArrestsinColorado,19862010,MarijuanaArrestResearchProject,NewYork,NY,October
2012.20
10
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NOTES1
AccordingtoU.S.CensusandUniformCrimeReporting(UCR)data,from1986to2010thepopulationof
Coloradogrew47%whilethemarijuanapossessionarrestsgrew157%.
2Forexample,in2007Californiaarrestedpeopleformarijuanapossessionatarateof203arrestsand
Coloradoatarateof254arrestsperhundredthousandresidents."MarijuanaArrestRatesBasedonUser
Populations,bystate,(2007)"at:http://www.drugscience.org/States/US/rate_rank.htm
In2006California'smarijuanapossessionarrestratewas145arrestsandColorado'swas224arrests.
"UnitedStatesMarijuanaArrestsbyState,(2006)"at:http://www.drugscience.org/States/US/US_Ia.htm
[Note:punctuationisomittedattheendofwebaddressestoreduceerrorswhencopyingtoabrowser.]
3
ThearrestdatapresentedinthisreportwasobtainedfromtheUniformCrimeReporting(UCR)Program
oftheFederalBureauofInvestigation(FBI).Thisprogramannuallycollectsdatafromstateandlocallaw
enforcementagencies,thoughnoteverylocalpoliceagencyparticipatesintheprogram.TheUCR
programmaintainstwodistinctdatasets.Onemakesavailabletherawdataprovidedbylocalpolice
agencieswithdetailsontherace,ageandsexofpeoplearrestedforvariouscategoriesofcrime.Forthe
stateofColoradothisprovidesdemographicdataforapproximately80%ofallthearrestsinthestate.DemographicdataonmarijuanapossessionarrestsinColoradoarebasedonthisUCRdataset.Arrest
rateshavebeencalculatedusingthisarrestdataandUSCensusdatafortherespectivegroups.
TheotherUCRdatasetusedforthisreportiscommonlyreferredtoasthecountyleveldataset.It
providestotalarrestcountsforeverycountyinthestatesthatparticipateintheprogram.TheUCR
programuseswidelyacceptedstatisticalpracticestoproduceestimatesforthoseagencieswhichhave
notreporteddata.DatafromthiscountyleveldatasethavebeenusedtopresentdataonColorado
arrestsformarijuanapossessionthroughoutthelasttwentyfiveyears.Theseestimationprocedures
accountfordifferencesbetweendataprovidedbytheUCRcountyleveldatasetanddatareportedby
ColoradoStatecriminaljusticeagencies.TheColoradostategovernmentcriminaljusticedataandthe
UCRrace,age,andsexdataset,areforallpracticalpurposes,identical.BothUCRdatasetsreferredto
herearepubliclyavailablethroughtheInterUniversityConsortiumforPoliticalandSocialResearch.4
WehavesaidherethatColoradohas"reducedcriminalpenaltiestosomeextent."Coloradois
sometimestermeda"decriminalization"state.Wethinkthisterminology,firstappliedinthe1970s,
needstobeseriouslyreconsideredandreworkedfortheseconddecadeofthe21stcentury.Theterm
decriminalizationwasinitiallyusedtodescribemarijuanalawsandreformsatatimewhenpolicemade
farfewerpossessionarreststhancurrently.Inthe1970s,manypoliticalandmediaobserversbelieved
thatwidespreaddecriminalization,ortheremovalofallpenalties,oreventhelegalizationofpossession
ifnotoftransferandsale,wouldsoonhappen.Instead,beginningin1980,theU.S.beganareinvigorated
"WaronDrugs"that,bythe1990s,focusedmainlyonmarijuanaandproducedtheeverrisingpossession
arrestsweseetoday.Coloradoreducedthecriminalpenaltiesformarijuanapossession,butbynomeans
eliminatedthem;inColoradolaw,marijuanapossessionremainsacriminaloffensehandledbycriminal
courts.Asaresult,wedonotthinkthatitisaccuratetosaythatinColoradomarijuanapossessionhas
beendecriminalized.
5
ColoradoRevisedStatutes,UniformControlledSubstancesActof1992,Title18,Article18,Section406,
Offensesrelatingtomarihuanaandmarihuanaconcentrate.Alsosee:JonGettman,PhD,Marijuana
inColorado:Arrests,UsageandRelatedData,TheBulletinofCannabisReform,November5,2009,at:
http://www.drugscience.org/States/CO/CO.pdf
IncreasingtheamountoftheClass3PettyArrestin2009fromlessthananouncetolessthantwoounces
affectsveryfewpeopleandarrestsanddoesnotsoftentheimpactofthelaw.
11
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6
Coloradoisahomerulestate,meaningthatthestatehasgrantedtolocalauthoritiesthepowerto
governthemselvesandpasstheirownlaws,includingcriminallaws.ManycitiesinColoradohave
adoptedmunicipalcodesthatmakemarijuanapossessionamunicipaloffense.
7
Ifamunicipalordinanceissilentonthepenaltytobeapplied,whichisoftenthecase,thejudgehasfull
discretioninimposingasentencewithincertainbroadlimits.Sincethemaximumpenaltyforall
municipalordinancesisfixedatayearinjailanda$1,000finebyStatelaw,somecityjudgeshavebeenknowntoapplythemaximumsentence,eveninamarijuanapossessioncase.MichaelRoberts,
Marijuana:$1Kfine,yearinjailforpossessionpossiblebutunlikely,saysLakewoodPD,Denver
WestwordBlog,September7,2012.
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2012/09/marijuana_1000_fine_year_in_jail_lakewood.php
8
SeeFilingFees,Surcharges,andCostsinColoradoStateCourts,
http://www.courts.state.co.us/Forms/renderForm.cfm?Form=804
9
Thisdescriptionofcourtpracticesisbasedoninterviewswithdefenseattorneyswhopracticeinthese
courts.
10ForcriminalrecordsinColoradoseehttps://www.cbirecordscheck.comForotherexamplesofwebsitesthatwillsearchforcriminalrecordssee:
https://www.criminalwatchdog.com/http://www.ussearch.com/consumer/criminalrecords/
http://www.jailbase.com/http://www.usapeoplesearch.com/CriminalRecords.aspx
http://www.blackbookonline.info/criminalsearch.aspx/http://www.nycourts.gov/apps/chrs/
11
CenterforCommunityAlternatives,TheUseofCriminalHistoryRecordsinCollegeAdmissions
Reconsidered,November2010,athttp://www.communityalternatives.org/pdf/Reconsideredcriminal
histrecsincollegeadmissions.pdf
12
Intheir2007studyoftheeffectofmarijuanapossessionarrestsonreducingcrimeinNewYorkCity,
HarcourtandLudwig,twoUniversityofChicagoresearchers,foundthattheNYPD'smarijuanaarrestsdo
notreducecrimeandmayevenincreaseitbytakingofficersoffthestreet.Theywrite:[NewYorkCitys]experimentwithmisdemeanorMPV[marijuanapossession]arrestsalongwithall
theassociateddetentions,convictions,andadditionalincarcerationsrepresentsatremendously
expensivepolicingintervention....Ourstudyfurthershowsthatthereisnogoodevidencethatit
contributedtocombatingseriouscrimeinthecity.Ifanything,ithashadthereverseeffect.Asaresult,
theNYPDpolicyofmisdemeanorMPV[marijuanapossession]arrestsrepresentsanextremelypoor
tradeoffofscarcelawenforcementresources.See:BernardE.HarcourtandJensLudwig,"Reefer
Madness:BrokenWindowsPolicingandMisdemeanorMarijuanaArrestsinNewYorkCity,19892000",
CriminologyandPublicPolicy6:1pp165182,2007
13
JonGettman,PhD,MarijuanainColorado:Arrests,UsageandRelatedData,TheBulletinofCannabis
Reform,November5,2009.
14Source:SubstanceAbuseandMentalHealthServicesAdministration,Resultsfromthe2010National
SurveyonDrugUseandHealth:SummaryofNationalFindings,NSDUHSeriesH41,HHSPublicationNo.
(SMA)114658.Rockville,MD:SubstanceAbuseandMentalHealthServicesAdministration,2011.
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k10NSDUH/2k10Results.htm
15
AlldataisfromtheFBIUCRdatasets,describedaboveinnote3.ThisdatamixesHispanicswith
whitesandwithblacks.ThisdistortsarrestdataforwhitesandblacksandproducesnoU.S.dataatallon
arrestsofHispanics.FormanyyearsthishaslimitedtheusefulnessandaccuracyoftheFBIUCRcrime
datawhichistheofficialandonlynationalU.S.crimedata.Inarecent,pathbreakingarticlein
12
7/31/2019 Marijuana Possession Arrests in Colorado Study
13/13
Criminology,theofficialpublicationoftheAmericanSocietyofCriminologyandtheleadingjournalinthe
field,Steffensmeieretal.(2011)havedevisedastatisticaltechniqueformoreaccuratelyestimating
arrestsofwhitesandofblacks,andforaccuratelyestimatingarrestsofHispanics.Theirtechniqueuses
datafromjurisdictionswherethearrestsofwhites,blacksandHispanicsarereportedandknown
becausethestatebeaksoutarresteesbyraceandethnicity.(TheyusedatafromCaliforniaandNew
York).ThemethodthenusesthisdatatodistinguishthethreegroupsinanotherjurisdictionwhereFBI
UCRdataandstateandcountydataonlyshowarrestsofwhitesthatincludewhiteHispanics,andarrestsofblacksthatincludeblackHispanics.Inthisreport,thismethodhasbeenappliedtomarijuana
possessionarrestsinColoradobasedonmarijuanapossessionarrestdatafromCaliforniafortheyears
2001through2010.Steffensmeiretal.brieflysummarizetheirmethodasfollows:
OuradjustmentmethodforremovingtheHispaniceffectfromWhiteandBlackUCRarrest
figuresfollowsastraightforwardprocedurethatiselaboratedsubsequentlyandincludesthe
followingfoursteps:1)mimicUCRnationalestimatesintheCANYdatabyaddingHispanic
arrestsintoWhiteandBlackarrestcategoriestocreateconfoundedWhiteandBlackCANY
arrestfigures,2)downwardadjusttheseconfoundedWhiteandBlackCANYarrestfigures(to
accountfortherelativelylargerHispanicpopulationinCANYthaninthenationasawhole),3)
usecleanandconfoundedWhiteandBlackCANYarrestfigurestocreatecorrectionfactorsfor
UCRdata,and4)applythesecorrectionfactorstoUCRarrestfigurestoestimatecleannational
countsofWhiteandBlackarreststhatdonotincludeHispanics.
See:Steffensmeier,D;Feldmeyer,B;Harris,C;Ulmer,J.(Feb,2011)"ReassessingTrendsinBlackViolentCrime,19802008:SortingOutthe'HispanicEffect'inUniformCrimeReportsArrests,NationalCrime
VictimizationSurveyOffenderEstimates,andUSPrisonerCounts."Criminology;49;1;pg197pg251.16
Thewebaddressesofthesourcesforthedatainthegraph"MarijuanaUsebyWhites,Blacks&
Latinos,Ages18to25,20022009"areonpage8atthebottomofthepage.Alldatacomesfrom:US
DeptHHS,SAMHSA,OfficeofAppliedStudies,NationalSurveyonDrugUseandHealth,20022010.
ThesemajorU.S.studiesofdruguseconsistentlyfindthatyoungwhites(1825)usemarijuanaathigher
ratesthanyoungblacksandLatinos(1825).However,somestudiesfindthatwhites35andolderuse
marijuanaatslightlylowerratesthanolderblacks.Forourpurposes,itistheyoungerpeoplewhoare
mostimportantbecausea)youngpeopleusemarijuanaatsignificantlyhigherrates,andb)policearrest
youngpeopleatfar,farhigherrates.
17
Thelogicofpolicepatrolandarrestprocesses,includingarrestquotasandtheirimportantrolein
policingformarijuanapossessionandothermisdemeanorsisdescribedin:HarryG.LevineandDeborah
P.Small,MarijuanaArrestCrusade:RacialBiasandPolicePolicyinNewYorkCity,19972007.NYCLU,
NewYork,2009.At:http://www.nyclu.org/files/MARIJUANAARRESTCRUSADE_Final.pdf
Patrolandnarcoticspolice,andtheirimmediatesupervisors,oftenfaceenormouspressuretomeet
arrestandticketquotassometimestermed"performancemeasures."Makingmarijuanaarrestsarea
relativelysafeandeasywayforpolicetomeettheirquotas.
18
See,forexample,JoseSanchezv.TheCityandCountyofDenver,inwhichalegalresidentwasfalsely
arrestedbytheDenverpoliceonsuspicionofbeinganillegalimmigrant.
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/03/jose_sanchez_lawsuit_denver_police_department_aclu
.php?page=2
19SeelettertoThomasE.Perez,AssistantAttorneyGeneral,CivilRightsDivision,UnitedStates
DepartmentofJusticefromMarkSilverstein,LegalDirector,ACLUofColorado,athttp://aclu
co.org/sites/default/files/ACLU%20Colo%20%20letter%20to%20DOJ%20Special%20Litigation%20Unit%2
0053111.pdf
20
Forhelpinginmanywayswewanttothank:CraigReinarman,JesseLevine,TonyNewman,ArtWay,
SteveFox,WarrenEdson,AllenSt.Pierre,KeithStroup,andtheOpenSocietyFoundations.