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3,500 Sentenced to Marijuana Related Offenses in 2016

According to report release by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, over 3,500 people were sentenced to marijuana related federal offenses in 2016 – more than either Crack Cocaine (1,582) or Heroin (2,830). View the entire breakdown here.

The good news is that these numbers have dropped in half since 2012, and continue to fall year after year.

The vast majority of those sentenced went to prison, with the average prison term of 28 months.

When the statistics for marijuana offenses are broken out by race, it’s clear that Hispanics loose big.

77% of all marijuana offenders sentenced were Hispanic. 12% White, 8% Black

The trend is promising, but the numbers are still highly disturbing. How long will we continue to jail people for selling a flower?

$28 Billion: Annual Cost of Federal Marijuana Prohibition

The Tax Foundation is a leading Washington D.C. -based nonpartisan, non-profit think tank whose mission since 1937 has been to change the world through tax policy.

They do this by focusing on four simple principles – simplicity, neutrality, transparency and stability. Many, including the media, view the Tax Foundation as a conservative, business friendly, and trusted bipartisan organization.

In May 2016, The Tax Foundation released a report entitled ‘Marijuana Legalization and Taxes: Federal Revenue Impact,’ along with a Fiscal Fact Sheet (No. 509) detailing the following:

Key Findings

A mature marijuana industry could generate up to $28 Billion in tax revenues… $7 Billion in federal taxes – lost revenue

$5.5 Billion from business taxes – lost revenue

$1.5 Billion from payroll and income taxes – lost revenue *Finding based on report Tax Foundation Fiscal Fact No. 509 By Gavin Ekins

The report goes on to suggest:

Society pays all the costs regardless of legality….

but tax revenue help offset those costs.

Is the Republican GOP up for a Change in Marijuana Policy?

Evidence indicates that the GOP is doing more than just dipping their collective toe into ending federal pot prohibition. AG Sessions appoint aside, GOP lawmakers have been busy this 115th Congress with pro-marijuana legislation.

H.R. 715 and the ‘Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017‘ – are just two of the GOP led bills now making their way through committees in the 115th Congress.

Learn more about H.R. 715, a bill to reschedule marijuana and de-schedule (remove from CSA) CBD, a non-psycho-active constituent of cannabis. Learn more about CBD here.

Learn more about the GOP led effort to end marijuana prohibition in this exclusive article from the CBD Business Blog.