Miami-Dade County has witnessed a substantial drop in misdemeanor cannabis possession arrests in recent years, a shift officials and advocates attribute to evolving enforcement priorities and prosecutorial discretion.
According to reporting by the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, misdemeanor marijuana-possession arrests in Miami-Dade have plunged to near historic lows. In particular, one article noted that while arrests were common prior to 2019, the number of misdemeanor charges brought by the Miami‑Dade State Attorney’s Office for possession of 20 grams or less has largely been curtailed.
A key turning point occurred in 2015, when the Miami‑Dade County Commission approved an ordinance allowing civil citations in lieu of criminal arrests for possessing 20 grams or less of cannabis (up to a $100 fine rather than jail time). The measure passed with a 10-3 vote, giving local law enforcement discretion to issue fines rather than charges.
In addition, in 2019 the State Attorney’s office publicly announced it would substantially reduce prosecutions of simple misdemeanor marijuana possession. That made the arrest-to-prosecution pipeline far less likely for many such cases. As the Tampa Bay Times piece reports, between 2019 and early 2024, although local police continued to make thousands of arrests for low-level possession, the vast majority of those cases were not pursued by prosecutors.
Nevertheless, while the overall number of arrests has dropped significantly, enforcement has not been uniform across all jurisdictions. In the same reporting, it was found that the Miami Beach Police Department accounted for a disproportionate share of misdemeanor marijuana arrests—in one segment up to a quarter of all such arrests in the county occurred in Miami Beach—highlighting geographic variation in local enforcement strategies.
The decline in arrest figures aligns with broader statewide trends. According to data compiled by the Marijuana Policy Project, Florida saw more than 42,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2017; by 2023, numbers had dropped drastically. Meanwhile, Florida’s state law continues to classify possession of 20 grams or less of cannabis as a first-degree misdemeanor—punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Advocates say the shift away from arrests for low-level possession is significant, especially for reducing criminal-justice consequences such as jail time, fines, or a criminal record—outcomes that disproportionately impacted certain communities. Although the numbers of arrests have fallen, racial disparities in enforcement persist. For example, reporting observed that although the overall number of misdemeanor arrests dropped, the proportion of those arrested who were Black rose from 47% to 59% after the prosecutor shift, even as Black residents comprise only around 18% of the county’s population.
Legal-change efforts continue in parallel. In November 2024, Florida voters backed a measure to legalize adult recreational cannabis possession, but it failed to reach the required 60% threshold for constitutional amendment passage, garnering approximately 56% support.
Despite the modest policy shifts locally, state law remains unchanged: a criminal offense still attaches to possession of up to 20 grams. Accordingly, further reform would require state-level legislative action or voter approval. Legal experts caution that without statutory change, the current low arrest levels depend heavily on local prosecutorial and policing discretion rather than guaranteed legal protection.
For residents and policy observers in Miami-Dade, the take-home is clear: while misdemeanor cannabis possession arrests are now at historic lows, the underlying law remains—and enforcement remains uneven across jurisdictions. Advocates suggest that the current environment reduces the collateral consequences of low-level cannabis possession for many, but they warn that true equity and consistency will likely require state-wide reform.