Santa Monica, CA: The adoption of state-specific marijuana legalization laws results in net reductions in crime, according to a review paper authored by researchers at The RAND Corporation and published in the Annual Review of Criminology.
Researchers reviewed findings from a decade’s worth of studies assessing the causal effects of adult-use cannabis legalization laws on criminal activity.
Investigators determined that legalization led to significant reductions in marijuana-related arrests and reduced criminal activities associated with illegal markets. They rejected claims that legalization was associated with any upticks in either violent crime or crimes related to other drug-related activities.
The study’s authors concluded, “On net, legalization produces reductions in crime.” They cautioned, however, that “these declines have not [yet] translated into measurable improvements in criminal justice system efficiency, … highlighting a need for additional strategies and further evaluation.”
Prior studies have determined that legalization is associated with improvements in police clearance rates for certain violent crimes and property crimes. Other studies have suggested that licensed cannabis operators reduce neighborhood crime rates by hiring doormen, installing video cameras, and by taking other steps that “deter possible motivated offenders.”
Full text of the study, “The links between cannabis and crime: Examining the evidence from recent policy experiments,” appears in the Annual Review of Criminology.