DEA Fails to Release Annual Report Highlighting Marijuana Seizures, Arrest Totals
- The DEA did not publicly release data on marijuana seizures and arrests made through the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program in 2024.
- The program began in 1979 and annual reports from 2011 to 2022 are available on the DEA’s website, with the most recent report being from May 2023.
- Marijuana crop seizures by DEA and their partners decreased by 33% between 2011 and 2020, before increasing in 2021 and 2022. Marijuana-related arrests by federal agents also dropped from over 8,500 in 2011 to under 5,000 in 2020 before increasing in 2021.
- NORML's Deputy Director criticized the DEA for not releasing updated data and highlighted the importance of transparency on federal marijuana policies.
The Drug Enforcement Administration failed to publicly provide reporting data in 2024 regarding the total number of marijuana seizures and arrests made by federal agents and others participating in the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program.
The DCE/SP began funding cannabis eradication programs in Hawaii and California in 1979. Annual reports summarizing the programs activities are archived on the DEA’s website for the years 2011 to 2022. The last time the agency publicly released an updated report was in May 2023.
Marijuana crop seizures by DEA and their partners fell nearly 33 percent between 2011 and 2020, before rising again in 2021 and 2022. Marijuana-related arrests by federal agents also declined sharply during this time, from 8,501 in 2011 to fewer than 5,000 in 2020, before also rising in 2021.
NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano criticized the agency’s failure to publicly release updated data on its website. He said, “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.”
Archived reports appear on DEA.gov.