> ## 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 2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-marijuana-trafficking-sentences-fy2025/ - Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:59.000Z - Description: Federal courts sentenced 378 people for marijuana trafficking in fiscal year 2025, the lowest count in the 2016 to 2025 table. 322 of them (85%) received prison, with a median term of 30 months (2.5 years), and 50 (13%) received probation only. A mandatory minimum applied to 176 (47%). - 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: FY2025 **In brief:** Federal courts sentenced 378 people for marijuana trafficking in fiscal year 2025, the lowest count in the 2016 to 2025 table. 322 of them (85%) received prison, with a median term of 30 months (2.5 years), and 50 (13%) received probation only. A mandatory minimum applied to 176 (47%). 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 378 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2025\. 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/). ## How Many Cases Were Sentenced? The U.S. Sentencing Commission recorded 378 people sentenced under guideline §2D1.1 with marijuana as the primary drug in fiscal year 2025\. Across fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the total for marijuana was 14,191. The yearly table lists each fiscal year's count next to its median prison term and guilty plea rate. It shows a lower count in each year from 2016 to 2025\. The table does not show why fewer cases were sentenced. | 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% | ## Prison Terms and Probation Of the 378 people, 322 were sentenced to prison and 50 to probation only, with no prison or other confinement. The median prison term was 30 months. A quarter received 67.5 months or more. A quarter received 12 months or less. For comparison, the median for marijuana across all fiscal years from 2016 to 2025 was 21 months. The median for every drug under §2D1.1 in fiscal year 2025 was 72 months, among 15,950 people. ## Mandatory Minimum Prison Terms When a mandatory minimum applies, the statute sets the shortest prison term the judge can impose, unless an exception applies. In fiscal year 2025 that was true for 176 marijuana cases. The marijuana share of 47% was lower than the 58% for all §2D1.1 drugs that year. It was higher than the 36% for marijuana across fiscal years 2016 to 2025. ## Guilty Pleas and the 13 Trial Convictions 365 of the 378 people (97%) pleaded guilty. 13 were convicted after a trial and sent to prison. The median prison term was 30 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial. The trial median comes from 13 people. These records do not show the drug amounts, charges, or plea offers in those cases. Among guilty pleas, 86% included a written plea agreement. 14% were straight pleas, made without an agreement. ## Sentences Against the Guideline Range The guideline range is the federal guidelines' recommended span of months. The Commission recorded the sentence position for all 378 people. The sentence was within the range for 39% (147). It was below the range without a government request for 29% (110), and below the range at the government's request for 28% (106). It was above the range for 4% (15). ## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History After prison, 307 people (81%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. Fines were ordered for 35 (9%), and restitution for 10 (3%). Category I, the lowest criminal history category, covered 64% of people. Category VI, the highest, covered 3%. ## What Is Not in These Numbers Fiscal year 2025 ran from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025\. The data counts only people convicted and sentenced, with no acquittals or dismissals. Marijuana is the primary drug type the Commission recorded, and a case may involve other drugs. Court-martial records do not record drug type in a countable form, and they have no criminal history field. Military drug distribution cases are compared with federal cases in separate posts. ### How We Counted People sentenced in fiscal year 2025 whose primary guideline was §2D1.1 and whose primary drug type was marijuana (378), 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 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-marijuana-trafficking-sentences-fy2024/) (previous or next year) - [Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-methamphetamine-trafficking-sentences-fy2025/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Powder Cocaine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-powder-cocaine-trafficking-sentences-fy2025/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Heroin Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-heroin-trafficking-sentences-fy2025/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Fentanyl Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fentanyl-trafficking-sentences-fy2025/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Crack Cocaine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-crack-cocaine-trafficking-sentences-fy2025/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Other Drug Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-other-drug-trafficking-sentences-fy2025/) (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.