Arrest rates for most drug crimes in Alaska have fallen over the past three decades, according to a recent fact sheet released by the Alaska Justice Information Center.
The report, published earlier this month, examines drug sale and manufacture arrest data reported through Alaska law enforcement agencies between 1986 and 2017.
It shows that narcotics sale and manufacture arrest rates for both men and women have decreased: The female arrest rate reached its lowest recorded rate in 2017, while the arrest rate for males reached its second-lowest recorded rate the same year.
Marijuana sale and manufacture arrest rates also decreased over the same 32-year period.
But synthetic narcotics are a different story: While the arrest rates for the sale and manufacture of synthetic narcotics peaked in 1998, they’ve also seen a general increase over the past 32 years, according to the Alaska Justice Information Center.
Kirsten Swann is a producer and reporter for Alaska Public Media.
