DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s marijuana debate includes a back-and-forth over pot possession and the impact on the criminal justice system, and activists are counting up the arrests.

The activists are releasing a report Thursday saying that marijuana possession arrests in Colorado went from about 4,000 in 1985 to more than 10,000 in 2010. The activists say two-thirds of those arrested were 25 or younger and that 36 percent were black or Latino. The numbers come from FBI Uniform Crime Reports.

Marijuana possession in Colorado is a petty offense, but people charged with pot possession still have to appear in criminal court.

Opponents of marijuana legalization argue that marijuana possession is such a minor crime that full legalization isn’t needed. They planned a rival event Thursday with mothers and women who oppose legalization.

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