Report: 1 in 10 Arrests In South Dakota Cannabis related

Ahead of the November vote the  South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws  have published the following report

MARIJUANA ARRESTS IN SOUTH DAKOTA

Primary Data Source:

  • U.S. Department of Justice’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, specifically from these three data sets: County Level Detailed Arrest Data, Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race (ASR), and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

Key Findings:

  • From 2009 to 2018, 31,883 people were arrested for marijuana in South Dakota, 95% of them for possession offenses.

  • In 2018, roughly one out of every ten arrests in South Dakota was for marijuana (4,218 out of 44,389).

  • From 2007 to 2018, marijuana arrests in South Dakota increased by 166% from 1,586 in 2007 to 4,218 in 2018.

  • On average, the arrest rates for Native Americans and Black South Dakotans has been over five times higher than for whites for the 10-year period from 2007 to 2018.

  • South Dakotans under the age of 25 accounted for 63% of all marijuana arrests in the 10-year period from 2007 to 2016.

  • Of all marijuana arrests involving 8 ounces or less, the vast majority involved less than seven grams, and over 40% of those were for a gram or less (2007-2016 arrest data).

  • Ninety-eight percent (98.2%) of marijuana violations in South Dakota from 2007 to 2016 were standalone offenses, meaning the individual was not charged with any other crime. In addition, in 99.1% of marijuana arrests, no weapons were seized by police.

  • According to the South Dakota Legislative Research Council, the cost of jailing a person is $90.26 per day. On this basis, the annual cost of jailing all 4,218 people arrested for marijuana in South Dakota in 2018 for 15 days each would be $5.7 million. A sentence of 90 days each would cost the state $34.3 million. Sentencing each to a full year in prison, the maximum allowable penalty for possession of eight ounces of less, would be $139 million.

  • Based on the percentage of arrests made for marijuana compared to the overall law enforcement costs for South Dakota, the report estimates that each marijuana arrest costs the state approximately $4,000.

  • The report notes that, in addition to jail time and fines, long-term harms of a marijuana arrest for an individual in South Dakota can include: loss of eligibility for adoption or foster parenting; loss of eligibility for public housing; difficulties securing employment due to employer discrimination; barriers to professional licensure; and loss of educational aid.

  • The counties with the highest marijuana arrest rates are Dewey, Buffalo, Hughes, Todd, and Roberts.

Full Report

Marijuana+Arrests+in+South+Dakota+rev+Sept20_2020

Primary Sponsor

 


Karma Koala Podcast

Top Marijuana Blog