Study: No Increased Crime In Medical Marijuana States

Study: No Increased Crime In Medical Marijuana States

Published on 3/11/17

The University of Victoria and a New Zealand Research Institute used FBI crime data from the last 30 years to conclude whether or not medical marijuana laws in the United States are associated with any rises in violent or property crime. Most people are probably not surprised to see hear that neither the establishing of marijuana dispensaries nor the increased rate of adult marijuana use are linked to any rising crime. While some legislators might still tout the idea that incoming marijuana legalization will harm public safety, the data has been found by multiple studies now that the legalization of medical marijuana laws are actually associated with a decrease in violent crimes such as homicide and assault.

"We do not find evidence that medical marijuana laws consistently affect violent and property crime," authors concluded. "Our results suggest that liberalization of marijuana laws is unlikely to result in the substantial social cost that some politicians clearly fear."

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