Marijuana Arrests On the Rise in Virginia

Isbella Diaz
WMAL.COM

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Arrests for possession of marijuana are way up in Virginia, despite an overall national trend toward decriminalizing pot.

A new study by the Drug Policy Alliance found that over a 12-year period marijuana arrests fell 6.5 percent nationally. In Virginia, however, those arrests rose by 76 percent.

The study also found that a disproportionate number of blacks are being arrested for marijuana possession. Arrests of blacks rose 106 percent in Virginia within a 10-year period (2003-2013).

Black arrests for marijuana possession for that time span accounted for 47 percent of all such arrests. Meanwhile, blacks in Virginia account for only 20 percent of the state’s population.