Report Finds Cannabis Arrests Decline Following Legalization
The Marijuana Policy Project recently released a report analyzing cannabis arrest data across all 50 states using FBI Crime Explorer data. The report identifies differences in arrest rates between states that have legalized cannabis for adult use and those that continue to prohibit it.
The report states that law enforcement agencies have made more than 21 million cannabis arrests in the United States since 1995. It also shows a decline in arrests as more states adopt legalization and regulatory frameworks.
“ Cannabis legalization across 24 states has driven a historic decline in cannabis arrests nationwide, from a high of nearly 900,000 to over 200,000 annually,” says Adam J. Smith, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project.“ That is still an alarmingly high number, with each of those arrests representing an actual person whose current reality and future prospects may well be derailed by a criminal record. Across half of our country, hundreds of thousands of Americans are still being funneled into the criminal justice system every year for a victimless ' crime ' that is very likely legal in the next state over.”
According to the report, annual cannabis arrests in the U. S., including Washington, D. C. and U. S. territories, declined from more than 870,000 in 2007 to 211,104 in 2025.
The report also states that arrest rates declined in every state after legalization. On average, states with adult-use legalization saw cannabis arrest rates drop 85.53 %. Possession arrests declined by an average of 84.61 %, while sales arrests declined by an average of 80.39 %.
The report finds that the 24 states with legalized cannabis recorded 222,261 fewer cannabis arrests in 2025 compared to the year before legalization in each state.
In 2025, law enforcement agencies in legalization states reported 22,357 cannabis arrests, while prohibition states reported 186,581 arrests. The report states that prohibition states recorded more than eight times as many cannabis arrests as legalization states, despite having a smaller total population. www. stateways. com Summer 2026 • StateWays 15