NCJ Number
74922
Journal
Contemporary Drug Problems Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1980) Pages: 85-105
Date Published
1980
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Nationwide survey data were used to explore arrest rates among marijuana users in different social segments of the population in order to determine group differences involving marijuana use and the danger of arrest.
Abstract
Interviews conducted with 2,510 males between the ages of 20 and 30 consisted of an extensive battery of questions on marijuana use and legal problems. A total of 110 respondents who reported having a law problem concerning possession, such as arrest, conviction, misdemeanor, or juvenile court action. Arrest rates were not dependent merely upon frequency of violating the law. Heavy smokers were arrested less than twice as often as moderate smokers; and light smokers arrested much more frequently than other users in relation to their low frequency of marijuana use. Age, race, occupation, region of country, and counterculture participation were strongly related to arrest rates. Thus, younger study cohorts (20-27 years old), those participating in the counterculture, and blue collar workers were particularly prone to arrest for a given pattern of marijuana use. The same three groups reported high frequency of use. White collar workers, students, those living in the north-central states, those over 27 years of age and those not participating in the counterculture were the least likely to be arrested. High arrest probability rates among students, nonwhites, those between 20 and 21 years of age, those from the South and the West, and counterculture participants were related to factors other than frequency of marijuana use. Thus, low arrest rates among heavy smokers indicates that smoking is hidden fom official view; and high arrest rates among nonwhites who smoke infrequently indicates the influence of minority group identity. Findings show that the enforcement of the marijuana laws is neither consistent nor related to seriousness of the violation. Evidence is also provided that current enforcement practices are directed primarily at controlling groups seeking alternative lifestyles. Marijuana laws that more sharply limit the discretion of the police to discriminate against specific groups are recommended. Twenty research notes and four tables are provided.