Marijuana arrests set a new record in 2004, totaling 771,605. Eighty-nine percent of these arrests were for marijuana possession, not sale or manufacture. In contrast, arrests for all violent crimes combined totalled 590,258—a decline from 2003.
For the record, I've never smoked marijuana and probably never will, but I support its legalization. I've yet to hear a convincing reason why it should be illegal and drinks and cigarettes should not.
Original post: The report on violent crime statistics from the FBI is out. The good news is, we're killing each other less. The bad news...
From the Associated Press:
Murders across the United States fell for the first time in five years, while rapes increased slightly last year, the FBI reported Monday.
Overall, the number of violent crimes, which also include aggravated assaults and robberies, fell by 1.2 percent last year. Property crimes _ burglaries, larceny/theft and car theft _ dropped 1.1 percent in 2004, compared to 2003.
There were 16,137 murders in the United States in 2004, the last full year for which statistics are available. That was about 350 fewer than in 2003, according to the FBI data. The decrease is the first since 1999, although smaller than what the FBI reported in June. Chicago was largely responsible for the drop, recording 150 fewer murders in 2004 than in 2003.
The number of rapes, however, has increased in three of the past four years, according to the FBI data.
If I find anything that seems credible speculating on why this should be, I'll post it.
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