A recent analysis conducted by the U.S. Sentencing Commission (“USSC”) has observed a decline in the number of federal cannabis trafficking cases from last year as more states legalize cannabis. The organization, which is an independent agency of the government’s judicial branch, conducted an analysis of the number of drug trafficking convictions and discovered that last year, there were 1,118 marijuana cases, a 67% decline from the numbers recorded since 2016. Advocates of legalization maintain that the year-over-year decrease correlates with the increasing number of states that have enacted legalization, in addition to reflecting the deprioritization of the feds in pursuing marijuana cases. The USSC stated that generally, just over 16,500 convictions involved drugs last year. Of this number, cannabis cases made up about 7%. In addition, the USCC noted that 4% of the marijuana trafficking sentences were for over a decade, 16% were for a period between 5 to 10 years, while the majority — a whopping 80% — was five years or less.
CannabisNewsWire, 06/24/2021 04:20:00