Depending on where you are in the country, your view on the legality of marijuana can vary wildly. If you’re in California, you may even forget that you technically shouldn’t be smoking out in public. On the other hand, if you’re in one of these 8 states, you could be in big trouble.
In 2024, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin made the most arrests that centered around marijuana. Interestingly, Texas more than doubled the next state with 26,602. Tennessee came next with 11,574, and the rest of the state were close behind.
Low level cannabis possession in Texas is punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine. Tennessee’s maximum punishment is a year in jail.
More than half of all drug-related arrests in Wisconsin were marijuana-related.
“The perpetuation of cannabis criminalization, and the vigorous enforcement of this policy by law enforcement in prohibition states, is a financially burdensome and terribly destructive policy that disrupts lives and has lasting consequences. Low-level marijuana offenders, many of them younger, poor, and people of color, should not be saddled with an arrest, a criminal record, and with the lifelong penalties and stigma associated with it for engaging in behavior that is now legally regulated for adults in nearly half the states in this country and that most Americans nationwide no longer believe ought to be a crime,” said Paul Armentano of NORML, concerning the data.
Read the original article at NORML.
