-
Civil forfeiture laws allow local law enforcement to retain possession of
seized assets, creating inherent conflicts of interest.
-
Federal prohibition of cannabis makes people prone to forfeiture laws even in
states where it is legally permitted.
-
Among states which have restrictions on civil forfeiture, those can be
bypassed via the federal equitable sharing program.
-
Using available FY 2019 data, New Frontier Data estimates that $661 million
in federally deposited seized funds were linked to cannabis.
-
Among all drug-related instances, cannabis-related seizures represented the
lowest percentage of those for which charges were ultimately filed.
-
In one locale, though marijuana was the singular trade for which the largest
amount of cash was seized, just 29% was tied to actual charges.
