The Office of National Drug Control Policy announces the release of a publication that debunks the myth that America's prisons are filled with low-level, nonviolent marijuana users.
Pro-drug advocates actively spread misinformation about the number of people in prison for marijuana, and their claims are widely accepted as conventional wisdom. But they are lies.
"Who's Really in Prison for Marijuana?" uses the most reliable state and Federal data to show that the number of inmates imprisoned solely for marijuana offenses is actually quite low, and only a fraction of that number are first-time offenders. The vast majority of drug prisoners, in fact, are traffickers, violent criminals, repeat offenders, or various combinations of these types.
According to the most recent available data:
-- Just 1.6 percent of the state inmate population were held for offenses involving marijuana only; -- Less than 1 percent (0.7 percent) of state prisoners were incarcerated with marijuana possession as the only charge; and -- Only 0.3 percent of all state prisoners convicted for marijuana possession and no other crimes were first-time offenders.
The numbers on the Federal level reflect a similar trend. Of all drug defendants sentenced in Federal courts for marijuana crimes in 2001, the overwhelming majority were convicted for trafficking.
The report is available online at the ONDCP Web site at <http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/whos_in_prison_for_marij/>.