> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Marijuana Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-marijuana-trafficking-sentences-fy2018/ - Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:56.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:56.000Z - Description: A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 753 (36%) of the 2,101 people sentenced for federal marijuana trafficking in fiscal year 2018. Those sent to prison had a median term of 21 months. Sentences within the guideline range accounted for 54% (1,141). - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Drug Distribution and Importation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-importation-vs-article-112a/) › Marijuana: FY2018 **In brief:** A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 753 (36%) of the 2,101 people sentenced for federal marijuana trafficking in fiscal year 2018\. Those sent to prison had a median term of 21 months. Sentences within the guideline range accounted for 54% (1,141). Updated November 3, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 2,101 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2018\. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Mandatory Minimums in Fiscal Year 2018 Some federal drug statutes set a minimum prison term based on the type and amount of drug. When one applies, the judge must impose at least that term unless the law allows an exception. The U.S. Sentencing Commission recorded a mandatory minimum for 753 of the 2,101 marijuana cases in fiscal year 2018. The 36% share matched the 36% recorded for marijuana across fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It was lower than the 61% for every drug sentenced under §2D1.1 in fiscal year 2018, a group of 18,404 people. ## Position Against the Guideline Range Every one of the 2,101 records showed where the sentence fell against the guideline range. The 1,141 within-range sentences made up 54%. Below-range sentences that the government asked for made up 26% (556). Below-range sentences without a government request made up 18% (369). Above-range sentences made up 2% (35). ## What Prison Terms Looked Like Of the 2,101 people, 1,915 (91%) were sentenced to prison. Another 124 (6%) received probation only, without prison or other confinement. The median prison term was 21 months. The top quarter received 46 months or more, and the bottom quarter received 12 months or less. The median for all §2D1.1 cases in fiscal year 2018, across every drug, was 60 months. The fiscal year 2018 marijuana median of 21 months was the same as the marijuana median for 2016 to 2025\. The table lists each year. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 3,398 | 18 months | 99% | | 2017 | 2,730 | 18 months | 98% | | 2018 | 2,101 | 21 months | 98% | | 2019 | 1,665 | 24 months | 98% | | 2020 | 1,116 | 21 months | 99% | | 2021 | 986 | 23 months | more than 99% | | 2022 | 796 | 24 months | 98% | | 2023 | 557 | 25 months | 98% | | 2024 | 464 | 30 months | more than 99% | | 2025 | 378 | 30 months | 97% | ## Did Most People Plead Guilty? Yes. 2,061 of 2,101 (98%) pleaded guilty, and 40 were convicted after a trial. Of the guilty pleas, 85% followed a written plea agreement and 15% were straight pleas with no agreement. The median prison term was 21 months for people who pleaded guilty. It was 60 months for the 40 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. These records cannot show whether the trial cases involved larger quantities or different charges. ## Supervised Release, Money Penalties, and Criminal History Supervised release is a period of court supervision that follows a prison term. It was ordered for 1,810 people (86%), with a median term of 36 months. Fines were imposed on 105 people (5%). Restitution was ordered for 32 (2%). The Commission places each person in a criminal history category running from category I to category VI. In this group, 61% were in category I and 4% were in category VI. ## Scope of the Count The fiscal year ran from October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018\. Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted, so acquittals and dismissals are absent. Marijuana is the primary drug the Commission recorded. Some cases involved more than one drug. ## Limits on Comparison Court-martial records do not track drug type in a countable form, and they contain no criminal history field. For that reason this post stays with federal numbers, and military drug distribution cases are compared in other posts. The federal records also do not show the evidence in any case or why it was brought in federal court. ### How We Counted People sentenced in fiscal year 2018 whose primary guideline was §2D1.1 and whose primary drug type was marijuana (2,101), U.S. Sentencing Commission. Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records. ### What to Keep in Mind **No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served. **Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial. **Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge. **Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually. **How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less. ## Related Analysis - [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-importation-vs-article-112a/) (overview) - [Federal Marijuana Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-marijuana-trafficking-sentences-fy2017/) (previous or next year) - [Federal Marijuana Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-marijuana-trafficking-sentences-fy2019/) (previous or next year) - [Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-methamphetamine-trafficking-sentences-fy2018/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Powder Cocaine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-powder-cocaine-trafficking-sentences-fy2018/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Heroin Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-heroin-trafficking-sentences-fy2018/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Crack Cocaine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-crack-cocaine-trafficking-sentences-fy2018/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Other Drug Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-other-drug-trafficking-sentences-fy2018/) (same year, other drug) - [Drug Distribution Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-2023-sentencing-reform-so-far/) - [Drug Distribution Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-acquittal-rate-vs-courts-martial/) - [§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2d1-1-unlawful-manufacturing-importing-exporting-or-trafficking-including/) (court-martial data) - [Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-trend-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-trend-2016-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-trend-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) (court-martial data) - [Article 112a UCMJ Drug Offenses and Positive Urinalysis](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) **About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.