Ten U.S. states accounted for 60% of marijuana arrests in 2025

An analysis of FBI data reveals that ten U.S. states accounted for approximately 60 percent of all marijuana-related arrests in 2025. Law enforcement agencies reported at least 218,152 total arrests nationwide, though experts note this figure may be an underestimate due to incomplete reporting from some agencies.

Texas recorded the highest number of arrests, with over 29,000 incidents representing about 14 percent of the national total. In Texas, 98 percent of these arrests involved simple possession. Other states reporting more than 12,000 arrests include North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. In each of these states, at least 90 percent of the arrests were for possession alone.

Louisiana reported the highest proportion of marijuana possession relative to other drug-related activity, with such arrests making up over 62 percent of its total drug enforcement actions. Meanwhile, possession arrests have reached historically low levels in states that permit recreational sales, such as Alaska, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, and Vermont.