Report: Fewer Marijuana Shipments Since Legalization

A new report indicates that marijuana reform has led to a decrease in illegal shipments of marijuana through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

The U.S. News and World Report recently collected statistics from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The data shows a significant decrease in people shipping marijuana through the mail since Colorado and Washington began taxing and regulating medical and recreational marijuana markets.

The federal government also saw a 12% decrease in marijuana shipments in 2014, as well as a 12% decrease in marijuana poundage seized by postal inspectors.

“Most of the shipping that’s being done is by people in the illicit market, and those are the people we’re trying to get out of business,” said Diane Goldstein, a board member with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also reported a decline in marijuana seizures since state-legalized marijuana markets began. In 2014, the DEA took control of less black market marijuana than they have in nearly 30 years.