0;possession of marihuana for personal use” and for the “casual distribution of small amounts of marihuana for no remuneration, or insignificant remuneration not involving profit.” In 1982, a national Academy of Sciences report on marijuana possession concluded that criminal justice approaches were inappropriate and harmful it recommended not only that marijuana possession be decriminalized, but that lawmakers give serious consideration to creating a system of regulated distribution and sale. (Like tobacco cigarettes) Since the Shafer Commission’s report in 1972, ten million people have been arrested for marijuana offenses in the United States. Federal law enforcement officials-from the DEA, the FBI, The U.S. Customs, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service---focus mainly on growers, distributors, and large-scale sellers. For example, in 1994, about two-thirds of the marijuana offenders sentenced in federal court possessed two hundred pounds or more of marijuana. These federal marijuana arrests account for only a fraction of marijuana arrests in the U.S. less than 5%. At the state and local level, where most marijuana arrests occur, the vast majority are for simple possession, not cultivation, trafficking or sale. An all-time high was reached in 1995, when state and local police officers arrested nearly 589,000 people for marijuana offences almost 86%- were arrested for possessing marijuana. Because of plea-bargaining, some people convicted of marijuana possession may be marijuana sellers. However, most people arrested for possessing marijuana are users, who possess small amount for personal use. (Zimmer & Morgan 1997:38-40)There has been an increase in arrests for marijuana usage nationwide from 1990 –1996. Criminal penalties for marijuana offenses vary across the country. In ten states, possessing small amounts of marijuana (usually less than one ounce) is punishable by a fine. ...
