By Justin Gardner

New data from the FBI show that cannabis remains the primary target of the U.S. war on drugs, with someone getting arrested for cannabis possession every 49 seconds in 2015.

643,000 Americans were put in handcuffs because of a plant, despite the fact that it’s been legalized recreationally in four states and medicinally in 25 states. These arrests make up a shocking 43 percent of all drug arrests and 5.9 percent of total arrests.

The figures actually represent an ongoing decline in cannabis arrests since 2007, but the trend is not keeping up with the enormous shift in public opinion in favor of cannabis legalization. A growing majority realize that it’s wrong to lock people in cages for possession of a medicinal plant that humans have used for thousands of years.

Yet the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the American police state continue to prey on the populace, using cannabis as an excuse to seize billions in assets and wreck the lives of innocent people.

Simple possession of any amount accounted for 89 percent of cannabis arrests, which is the same percentage as the 2007 peak. So even though the total number of arrests have dropped, agents of the State are still going after people with a joint or a bit of weed in their pocket.

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“While the numbers are thankfully dropping over time, it’s alarming and simply unacceptable that someone is harassed by the police just for marijuana every 49 seconds in this country,” said Tom Angell of the reform group Marijuana Majority. “Polls now consistently show that a growing majority of Americans supports full legalization, and it’s about time more politicians and law enforcement caught up.”

Even though many places have reduced penalties for cannabis “offenses,” it still can have devastating impacts on lives. Besides spending time in jail, where death becomes an increased likelihood, those who escape from the cage are often stuck with a permanent black mark.

According to a report by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA):