flickr: blind nomad

The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) released a report that indicated marijuana possession as one of the most popular offenses Undocumented Immigrants are detained for. This exceeds arrests for rape, murder and robbery. Amanda Reimen reports on how Immigrants are still being affected by marijuana policies despite the recent regulations on it.

### Via the Drug Policy Alliance 

As with any policy shift, the gradual regulation of marijuana in the United States will have implications for a wide variety of populations. Indeed, the removal of marijuana from the criminal justice system has already started. However, like the recent shift in marriage policies to allow same sex marriage, the impact from a policy change can often be slow to reach the immigration community. This leaves this population in limbo, even after the rest of the country assumes change has happened.

Recently, a report was released by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) that looked at holds placed on individuals in California by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and which suspected criminal activities were most likely to result in detainment. ICE is charged by the Department of Homeland Security to maintain public health and safety. So, one would assume that accusations of violent crimes would be the most likely reason for detaining an undocumented foreign national.

READ MORE AT DRUGPOLICY.ORG