The FBI released figures showing the nation’s murder rate declined for the first time in four years, dropping to its lowest level in the last four decades. The total of over 16,000 murders amounted to 5.5 murders for every 100,000 people, a three-percentage decrease from the year before. Of the seven categories of major crimes, only rape saw an increase in incidents, up 0.8 percent to over 94,000 offenses. The advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project observes marijuana arrests totalled over 771,000, setting a new record. Eighty-nine percent of these arrests were for marijuana possession, not sale or manufacture.