The figures, which were released last week, show that the number of under-17s arrested rose from 8,870 in 2002 to 9,040 in 2003.
This is the 10th year in a row that the figure has risen. The only other significant rise was among people aged 30 and over.
A spokeswoman for drug information charity DrugScope said: "If the trend continues then we would have to question whether young people are being discriminated against."
But she added that the reclassification of cannabis, which was changed from a class B to a class C drug in January 2004, may help reduce arrests.
"We will see from the next set of figures whether the police are arresting people for possession or not," she said.
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