LANSING, MI -- Van Buren County had the highest rate of marijuana-related arrests among Michigan's larger counties in 2012, followed closely by Berrien and Saginaw counties, according to statistics reported to the Michigan State Police.

Van Buren had 3.5 marijuana arrests per 1,000 residents in 2012, which comprised two-thirds of the county's total drug arrests and 8 percent of arrests for all offenses.

The Kalamazoo Gazette calculated the arrest numbers and arrest rates for the 36 Michigan counties with a population over 50,000. Those counties account for almost 88 percent of Michigan's population.

The analysis found that urban areas tended to have much higher arrest rates than rural and suburban communities.

For instance, the marijuana arrest rate in the cities of Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor, Saginaw, Grand Rapids and Muskegon were all significantly above the countywide arrest rates.

Decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana is a hot topic nationwide. Marijuana is now legal in Colorado and Washington state, and Michigan cities including Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Lansing Flint, Ypsilanti, Jackson and Ferndale has decriminalized marijuana in the past two years.

RELATED STORY: Is enforcing marijuana laws a good use of public resources?

Below is the database, which includes the 36 Michigan counties with a population of 50,000 or more. The arrest statistics provided are for 2012, as reported to the Michigan State Police by local police agencies and as for arrests in that county.

To create a top-to-bottom ranking of the different counties, click on "all counties" and then click on top of the appropriate column to look at the ranking for that column.

If you have questions or comments about the database, post a comment below or contact Julie Mack at 269-350-0277 or email jmack1@mlive.com.

CORRECTION:

The original database posted listed incorrect numbers for total marijuana arrests for Bay, Ionia Isabella, Grand Traverse, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Marquette, Midland, Monroe, Montcalm, Shiawasee, St. Clair and Tuscola counties

. The database has been corrected and updated.

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