Denver PD revises school pot arrest numbers, citing previous error

Photo: Marijuana plants growing in tubs at a greenhouse in Colorado Springs, worker in background
In this Feb. 7, 2014 file photo, a worker cultivates a special strain of medical marijuana known as Charlotte's Web inside a greenhouse, in a remote spot in the mountains west of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

On Monday, the Denver Police Department reported a spike in marijuana arrests at Denver Public Schools since recreational stores opened. But, because of an error on the part of the city, it turns out the percentage increase in the number arrests isn’t as dramatic.

The actual number of marijuana arrests last year at DPS is double the number reported Monday -- about 300 arrests in the 2013-2014 school year rather than the 154 originally reported.

However, the increase in arrests since recreational marijuana started is only 6 percent, not the 40 percent as originally reported.

Police Cmdr. Matt Murray says the original data given to CPR was incorrect because alternative spellings on marijuana were not taken into account when searching the records.

The updated report Tuesday shows that East High School has the most marijuana arrests in the city -- 33 -- jumping by a third since recreational pot stores opened. Elsewhere, there were 24 at Southwest Early College charter school and 21 arrests at Henry Middle School.