Mercer was released from the team due to a marijuana arrest.

His photo was in police files because of the marijuana arrest.

In 1985, local police made 451,138 marijuana arrests, most for simple possession.

In the last three years, the authorities have seized 36 weapons in marijuana arrests.

Nationally, the number of marijuana arrests has nearly doubled to 642,000 in 1996, from 1992.

So far this year, marijuana arrests have surpassed the previous record of 27,264 people in 1997, the police said.

Robert Mitchum's film career was almost destroyed by a 1948 marijuana arrest.

Almost 90 percent of these marijuana arrests were for simple possession, a crime that in most cases is a misdemeanor.

And marijuana arrests have doubled in less than a decade, to 700,000 a year, even as use of the drug has remained static.

Creates a community oversight committee to monitor police reports for marijuana arrests.