marijuana possession arrests in colorado study

7/31/2019 Marijuana Possession Arrests in Colorado Study

1/13


2/13

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.

2


3/13

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

3


4/13

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

4


5/13

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

5


6/13

________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

6


7/13

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.,

7


8/13

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


9/13

_________________ _________________ __________________ _________________ _________________ __________________ _________________ ____

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

9


10/13

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


11/13

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


12/13

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


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.

marijuana possession arrests in colorado study

Documents