The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is facing criticism after failing to release updated annual data on marijuana-related arrests and seizures as it has done in prior years.
The agency has been publishing and archiving the annual data from its Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program (DCE/SP) for decades, and advocates say the information is critical, especially amid heightened consideration of federal marijuana policy reform.
The last time that DEA updated the cannabis arrest and seizures figures was May 2023.
That data showed that DEA seized more than 5.7 million marijuana plants in 2022, a demonstrable increase that bucked the trend that’s been observed over recent years as the state legalization movement has expanded. However, the agency made far fewer cannabis-related arrests that year.
“At a time when voters and their elected officials nationwide are re-evaluating state and federal marijuana policies, it is inconceivable that government agencies are unwilling to provide data on the estimated costs and scope of federal marijuana prohibition in America,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said in a blog post.
Hellbound and Down 