Study says rate of juvenile drug arrests in Kansas is relatively high

Recent analysis of 2017 FBI crime data shows that juveniles in Kansas are being arrested for drug crimes at a relatively high rate.

“Having nearly one out of ten juveniles arrested for drugs is a pretty high stat, said Greenhouse Treatment analyst John Cusick.

Just to clarify, these arrests are not for underage use of otherwise legal substances, but for drugs that would be illegal regardless of age of offender.

“The FBI releases an annual report on juvenile arrests,” said Cusick. “This is taking just the stats on the drug arrests. Interestingly, they’ve stopped reporting on what specific drug the juveniles were arrested for a couple of years ago. They’ve kind of lumped all that into just this one category.”

Part of the reason for Kansas having a higher rate of juvenile arrests than its surrounding states has to do with which laws are still on the books in the state.

“Certainly, marijuana’s a hot topic right now, with different states legalizing it either medically or recreationally,” said Cusick. “I think every state surrounding Kansas has legalized at least medical marijuana.”

Only New Jersey and Oregon have a higher percentage of all of their juvenile arrests that come from drugs.