Why Cannabis Arrests Persist in Prohibition States

Despite historic progress in cannabis (marijuana) reform, tens of thousands of people in the United States are still being arrested every year for simple possession, sometimes in the very states where legal cannabis markets are flourishing just across the border. New 2024 arrest data reveal a disturbing truth: cannabis criminalization remains deeply entrenched in many parts of the country, and the consequences are devastating.

While nearly half of U.S. states now allow adult-use cannabis, prohibition states continue to treat cannabis as if it were a serious public threat. The result is a deeply unequal system where some Americans can walk into a dispensary and purchase regulated cannabis, while others are arrested, fined, jailed, or forced to uproot their lives simply to access medicine or avoid prosecution.

And make no mistake, this is not a rare occurrence. Cannabis arrests remain widespread, and the numbers paint a troubling picture of outdated policy clashing with modern reality.
TL;DR: New 2024 data reveal that cannabis arrests remain widespread in prohibition states, with most cases involving simple possession. Even as legalization expands nationwide, outdated enforcement practices continue to criminalize ordinary people—costing lives, opportunities, and taxpayer dollars.

Cannabis Arrests Make Up Nearly Half of Drug Arrests in Many Prohibition States

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According to newly released FBI Crime Data Explorer numbers compiled by NORML¹, cannabis-related arrests far outpaced arrests for any other drug in 2024 across states where cannabis remains prohibited.

Note: Reporting to the FBI Crime Data Explorer is voluntary, and many law-enforcement agencies do not submit complete data — meaning actual arrest totals are likely higher than reported.

In five states (Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Wisconsin) more than half of all drug arrests were for cannabis. These are not trafficking busts. These are not major operations. These are overwhelmingly low-level possession cases. These figures represent statewide totals compiled from 2024 FBI CDE submissions analyzed by NORML, reflecting only the agencies that reported arrest data for the year.

Nine additional states reported that cannabis arrests made up 40% or more of all drug arrests, including Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming. Even in Washington, D.C., where adult-use is legal but public consumption remains a criminal offense, 42% of drug arrests still involved cannabis.

This reality shows a stark contrast: the criminal justice system in prohibition states is spending immense time and resources chasing low-level cannabis users, often for amounts that would be perfectly legal just a few miles away.

Almost All Cannabis Arrests Are for Simple Possession

One of the most alarming aspects of the 2024 data² is how minor these offenses really are. In states like Alabama, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, over 97% of cannabis arrests were for simple possession. Not distribution. Not manufacturing. Not organized crime.

This means that the overwhelming majority of these arrests target ordinary people, including young adults, students, workers, patients, and, disproportionately, people of color and those with lower incomes.

And once someone is arrested for cannabis, the consequences do not end with a night in jail. An arrest can derail educational opportunities, limit access to housing, block employment, and impose a lasting stigma that follows a person for years. For many, the damage is permanent.

Legal vs. Prohibition States: Why Cannabis Arrests Remain Unequal

The contrast between states with legal cannabis and prohibition states is impossible to ignore. In legal markets such as Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Vermont, and Washington, cannabis arrests made up less than 5% of all drug arrests. This is exactly what legalization advocates predicted: regulate cannabis and arrests plummet.

Yet even with legalization, disparities persist. Illinois, despite legalizing adult-use cannabis in 2019, still saw over one-third of drug-related arrests tied to cannabis in 2024. This points to a deeper problem: legalization alone is not enough. States must follow through with equitable enforcement, record expungement, accessible legal markets, and clear regulations that eliminate unnecessary criminal penalties.

It also highlights a larger injustice: while millions of adults now purchase cannabis freely, others are still criminalized for the same behavior. This is especially problematic when individuals living in prohibition states must relocate just to obtain medical relief, something no American should be forced to do.

Over 204,000 Cannabis Arrests in 2024, and the Human Cost Is Immense

Nationwide, police made over 204,000 cannabis-related arrests in 2024. The states leading the country in possession arrests were Texas (26,602), Tennessee (11,574), and Pennsylvania (11,154). These are staggering numbers for a plant that most Americans believe should be legal.

Cannabis arrests remain the primary driver of drug enforcement, where the plant is still criminalized. These arrests disproportionately harm younger people, poorer communities, and people of color, even as legalization becomes the norm across much of the country.

Beyond the human cost, the financial burden is enormous. Taxpayer dollars that could support education, healthcare, addiction services, and community development are still being spent to punish people for possessing a substance that is legally bought, sold, and taxed in nearly half the country.

Why Cannabis Criminalization Still Persists — and What Must Change

Cannabis arrests are not relics of an old era. They are happening today, at scale, in states that refuse to modernize their laws even as the majority of Americans support legalization. The 2024 numbers make one truth painfully clear: prohibition is still harming hundreds of thousands of people every year, most of them for simple possession.

This is unacceptable.

No one should face handcuffs, jail time, or a criminal record for a plant that is legal in nearly half of the country. No one should have to flee their state to access medicine. And no one should be left behind while the rest of the nation moves forward.

Ending cannabis criminalization is not just about policy; it is about equity, compassion, public health, and basic human dignity. The data is clear. The harm is undeniable. And the time for change is long overdue.

We cannot wait. States must end cannabis arrests, stop punitive enforcement, and move toward full legalization and record expungement. The country has already chosen its direction, and now the laws must follow.

References:

<sup>1. NORML. (2025, November 18). Police in these eight states made over 100,000 marijuana-related arrests in 2024. NORML. https://norml.org/blog/2025/11/18/police-in-these-eight-states-made-over-100000-marijuana-related-arrests-in-2024/
2. NORML. (2024). State marijuana arrest reports. NORML. https://norml.org/marijuana/library/state-marijuana-arrests/</sup>