People in Maryland are arrested every day for many different reasons, but it is natural that some crimes are going to come with more frequency than others. With all of the talk in the news about the war on drugs, you may be wondering what percentage of all arrests are related to drug charges. If so, the answer may surprise you.
One report from 2012 showed that nothing was as common as drug offenses. They were the most frequently cited reason for arrests in the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has indicated that they think the majority of these cases do not involve advanced charges like drug trafficking or intent to sell, but that they simply revolve around the possession of illegal drugs. In fact, it is said that a full 82 percent of all drug-related arrests were for possession. A healthy 42.4 percent of the arrests related to the possession of marijuana.
The FBI also estimates that there were a total of 12.2 million arrests made over the course of the year, and they think that 1.55 million of those were for things deemed to be drug-related. That means that almost 13 percent of all arrests fell into this category.
To really see how common these things are, you just have to break it down based on the frequency of arrests. These numbers show us that someone is picked up for a drug offense every 20 seconds. These offenses involve marijuana every 42 seconds.
If you are facing drug charges, you must know what legal options you have, and you should also make sure that you fully understand your rights.
Source: Think Progress, “Police Made More Arrests For Drug Violations Than Anything Else In 2012” Nicole Flatow, Oct. 30, 2014
