Someone is arrested for marijuana possession in New Jersey every 15 minutes. And that startling number has only gotten worse over the past few years, according to civil rights advocates.
On Friday, the ACLU of New Jersey released a report that examined the state's 2016 and 2017 crime data. Researchers found that – despite a growing chorus of voices calling for legalization and expungement – marijuana arrests have actually risen "dramatically" over the past few years.
Read the full report.
According to the ACLU-NJ:
"In 2017, New Jersey made 37,623 arrests for marijuana possession and distribution charges, going up nearly 35 percent from the 27,923 arrests made in 2013 on possession and distribution. According to the 2017 numbers, New Jersey averaged about 95 marijuana possession arrests per day, amounting to one arrest every 15 minutes. In contrast, ACLU-NJ's [previous] report found that in 2013, New Jersey averaged 66 possession arrests statewide per day, or one arrest approximately every 21 minutes."