News Report | March 26, 2017
No Increased Crime In Medical Marijuana States
After enacting medical marijuana laws between 1996 and 2013, most states that did so, had no significant increase in rates of violent and property crime. Violent crime rates in medical marijuana states decreased by 0.8% to 2.0%, depending on the state. Property crime rates in medical marijuana states increased by 3%. California, which passed its medical marijuana law in 1996, was the exception — the rate of both violent and property crime there dropped by 20%.
These findings were reported in “Joint culpability: The effects of medical marijuana laws on crime,” by Yu-Wei Luke Chu of Victoria University . . .