The Center for Public Integrity reports at Truthout on a study showing that California juvenile arrests have plunged due to marijuana decriminalization:

The recently released policy briefing, "California Youth Crime Plunges to All-Time Low," identifies a new state marijuana decriminalization law that applies to juveniles, not just adults, as the driving force behind the plummeting arrest totals…After the new pot law went into effect in January 2011, simple marijuana possession arrests of California juveniles fell from 14,991 in 2010 to 5,831 in 2011, a 61 percent difference… 

"Arrests for youths for the largest single drug category, marijuana, fell by 9,000 to a level not seen since before the 1980s implementation of the 'war on drugs,'" Males wrote in the report, released in October…

Arresting and putting low-level juvenile offenders into the criminal-justice system pulls many kids deeper into trouble rather than turning them around, Males said, a conclusion many law-enforcement experts share.

Scrapping jail time in favor of fines seems to be a better option for young drug offenders in California. And public safety hasn't suffered as a result: arrests for violent crime actually dropped by 16 percent, homicide by 26 percent, and property crime by 16 percent between 2010 and 2011. Will other states get the message and follow suit? Colorado and Washington recently legalized marijuana use, but even there, pot will be permitted only for those who are 21 and older. Is an age minimum really the smartest policy when it comes to decriminalization?