Aren’t prisons overcrowded with first-time marijuana possession offenders?

  • Not when you look at the actual numbers. On the average state level, the percentage is .7%; on the federal level, it’s 2.3% which translates to 186 people of whom 63 served time.
  • We’re not even taking into consideration those who pled down from drug trafficking charges.
  • Some states have downgraded possession to a small fine since these numbers were reported, making a first time offender even less likely to be charged.