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US Sentencing Commission: Fewer Federal Offenders Charged with Marijuana-Related Crimes in 2021

Washington, DC: Federal officials charged fewer people with marijuana-related crimes in 2021 as compared to previous years, according to data compiled by the US Sentencing Commission in its 2021 Annual Report.

Just under 1,000 people were charged federally with violating marijuana laws in 2021. They comprised less than six percent of those charged with violating federal drug laws that year.

By contrast, federal officials charged nearly 7,000 people in 2012 with marijuana offenses. That was greater than the number of people charged with any other drug violation. By 2016, that total fell to fewer than 3,500 people. The total has continued to fall steadily since then.

Commenting on the latest federal figures, NORML's Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: "Although Congress has failed to amend federal cannabis laws, clearly the attitudes and priorities of federal prosecutors have shifted in the era of state-level marijuana legalization. Now it's time for federal lawmakers to codify these changes in priorities by descheduling marijuana."

NORML's Political Director Morgan Fox added: "Despite this downward trend in federal marijuana prosecutions, America's outdated federal laws are still having a significant and unnecessary impact on people's lives. Congress has the opportunity to change that. Lawmakers must continue to build momentum to end our failed marijuana prohibition policies and help those who have been unjustly hurt by them. We urge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold a floor vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expunge Act immediately, and sincerely hope that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sticks to his planned April introduction of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act."

Overall, 31 percent of all federal offenders in 2021 were charged with drug violations, up from about 26 percent in 2020. Just under half of all people charged with federal drug offenses in 2021 were prosecuted for trafficking methamphetamine.

The 2021 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics is available online.

Study: Arthritis Patients Significantly Reduce Their Opioid Use Following Cannabis Therapy

Philadelphia, PA: Patients suffering from arthritic pain reduce their use of prescription opioids and report improvements in their condition following medical cannabis treatment, according to longitudinal data presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

Investigators affiliated with the Rothman Opioid Foundation at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia evaluated opioid consumption patterns in a cohort of 40 patients with chronic arthritis pain during the six-months immediately prior to and immediately following their enrollment in the state's medical cannabis access program.

Consistent with prior studies, patients reduced their daily intake of opioids over the course of the trial. On average, subjects' daily morphine milligram equivalents fell by nearly half, from 18.2 to 9.8 MME. Over one-third of the study's subject ceased using prescription opioids altogether.

Separate data provided by the same team of investigators reported similar results in patients with chronic back pain. That data was previously published in February in the journal Cureus.

"One of the biggest central problems with opioids is both addiction and the need for higher dosages to achieve the same results," said Dr. Asif Ilyas, the studies' lead researcher. "Based on our current understanding of medical cannabis, you do not need increasing doses to achieve the same results and we're not yet seeing any addictive qualities to it."

Survey: Cannabis Use Common Among Patients with Alopecia Areata

Boston, MA: Patients diagnosed with alopecia areata (AA) – an autoimmune disorder that results in unpredictable, patchy hair loss – frequently report consuming cannabis to alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, according to survey data published in the International Journal of Trichology.

A team of investigators affiliated with Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Dermatology surveyed nearly 1,100 patients with AA. One-third of subjects acknowledged engaging in the current use of cannabis. More than two-thirds of those users said that cannabis mitigated their feelings of stress, anxiety, sadness, and depression.

Authors concluded: "A significant proportion of patients with AA use cannabis, oftentimes seeking relief from psychosocial symptoms related to their hair loss. These findings build on existing literature suggesting that patients are seeking alternative methods to address the emotional impact of AA that traditional solutions have been unable to achieve."

Full text of the study, "Cannabis use among patients with alopecia areata: A cross-sectional survey study," appears in the International Journal of Trichology.

Report Highlights Marijuana Penalties In States That Still Maintain Criminalization

Washington, DC: Americans in 19 states continue to face arrest, criminal prosecution, and incarceration for minor marijuana possession offenses, according to a comprehensive report issued by the Marijuana Policy Project.

Those arrested in these jurisdictions are disproportionately African American. Consistent with other analyses, MPP reported, "In each of the states that have not yet decriminalized cannabis - and in every state nationwide - Black people are more likely than their white counterparts to be arrested for cannabis possession, despite similar use rates."

For example, African Americans in Kentucky were arrested for marijuana possession offenses at more than nine times the rate of whites. In Iowa and Wisconsin, Black people were arrested for possession at more than seven times the rate of whites. Black people were arrested for cannabis possession in Kansas, South Dakota, and Utah at roughly five times the rate of whites.

Overall, several hundred thousand Americans are still arrested for violating states' marijuana laws. Over nine in ten of those arrested are charged with low-level marijuana possession offenses, not sales or trafficking.

Majority support for legalizing marijuana exists in every state where cannabis possession remains criminalized.

"It is long past time for these states to start taking a more just, commonsense, and fiscally responsible approach to cannabis policy," authors concluded. "Short of legalization, states should stop needlessly ensnaring thousands of their residents in the criminal justice system each year. Now is the time for the remaining 19 states that still criminalize to reclassify possession of one ounce or less of cannabis as a civil infraction, replacing the criminal offense with a small civil fine and wiping away the criminal records of offenders convicted under the old, overly harsh laws."

Full text of the report, "Behind The Times: The 19 States Where a Joint Can Still Land You in Jail," is available for download.

South Dakota: Governor Signs Legislation Preserving Limited Home Grow Rights for Patients

Pierre, SD: Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has signed legislation (SB 24) into law preserving the ability of qualified patients to home cultivate limited quantities of cannabis.

Voters in November 2020 overwhelmingly decided in favor of a ballot initiative (Measure 26) permitting qualified patients to possess, grow, and purchase medical cannabis - a measure which Gov. Noem opposed. Since that time, on two occasions, House lawmakers have voted in favor of legislation to eliminate patients' home cultivation rights.

"Permitting limited home cultivation provides patients with the ability to have reliable, affordable, and consistent access to their medicine," NORML's Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. "Seventy percent of voters approved this right at the ballot box and it is reassuring to see that a majority of lawmakers, and the Governor, ultimately decided to respect the voters' decision."

Senate Bill 24, as amended in conference committee, permits registered patients to cultivate a total of four marijuana plants (two mature, two immature) and to legally possess the harvest from those plants.

NORML has long supported home grow rights for patients, opining that "the inclusion of legislative provisions protecting the non-commercial home cultivation of cannabis serves as leverage to assure that the product available at retail outlets is high quality, safe, and affordable." Allowing patients the ability to grow cannabis at home further ensures that they "will have an uninterrupted and cost-effective supply of the medicine that is best suited to their own particular therapeutic needs."

Other cannabis-related bills signed by Governor Noem this session include Senate Bill 6, which protects medical cardholders from discrimination by either school administrators or by landlords, SB 7, which mandates that "no person may be denied custody of, visitation rights with, or parenting time with a minor solely because the person is a cardholder," and SB 15, which protects cardholders from the loss of any professional licensure due solely to their medical cannabis patient status.

Additional information on pending legislation is available from NORML's 'Take Action Center.'