Marijuana arrests still near record high

WASHINGTON - The number of marijuana arrests last year remained near the
1997 record high and surpassed those for murder, rape, robbery and
aggravated assault combined, a group that lobbies for the reform of
marijuana laws reported yesterday.

Citing the FBI's report of crime statistics for 1998, the Washington-based
Marijuana Policy Project said there were 682,885 arrests related to the
drug in 1998, down 1.8 percent from the record high of 695,200 in 1997.

''This is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources,'' said Chuck
Thomas, spokesman for the group, which lobbies lawmakers to legalize
medical marijuana prescribed by doctors for illnesses that cause pain or
discomfort associated with the treatment of cancer or AIDS.

Of the 1998 marijuana arrests, 88 percent were for possession as opposed to
sale or manufacture, the Marijuana Policy project said in its statement.

Citing other government statistics, the Marijuana Policy Project has
reported that there are 59,300 marijuana offenders in US prisons and jails
at any given time.

''It is time to stop arresting adults who grow and consume their own
marijuana at home - and instead put these public resources into
violent-crime enforcement and effective drug education,'' Thomas said.