Posted on 09/15/2019 11:51:37 AM PDT by NobleFree
New research shows crime rates dropped substantially in areas with marijuana dispensaries, running counter to fears that pot shops drum up crime.
The study, published this month in the journal of Regional Science and Urban Economics, analyzed crime data from Denver between January 2013 and December 2016. Colorado, which legalized medical marijuana nearly two decades ago, kicked off sales of recreational pot in 2014.
”The results imply that an additional dispensary in a neighborhood leads to a reduction of 17 crimes per month per 10,000 residents, which corresponds to roughly a 19 percent decline relative to the average crime rate over the sample period,” the study states.
While those findings are highly localized, Illinois State University criminology professor Ralph Weisheit said the results could be “magnified in Illinois.” That’s because the state’s 610-page pot law prioritizes criminal justice and social equity and encourages the hiring of people from “economically-impoverished neighborhoods,” Weisheit said.
“More than any other state, the law is loaded with sections that encourage economic development and employment in areas that have high levels of poverty and a high level of previous marijuana arrests,” he added.
In Denver, researchers found the sharpest decrease in nonviolent crimes, like criminal trespassing, criminal mischief, simple assault and public-order crimes. The study also found a reduction in violent crime that was driven by a drop in aggravated assault, though those findings weren’t statistically significant.
Crime dropping locally appears to be consistent with an increased police or private security presence in or around pot shops. According to David Mok-Lamme, one of the study’s co-authors, private guards tasked with protecting dispensaries’ cash and product might have a “positive impact on crime rates” — but there’s not enough available data to know for sure.
Since the research shows that crime actually decreases “in a meaningful way,” Mok-Lamme said he hopes the study “causes people to rethink those thoughts they may have about where dispensaries choose to open.”
Westchester police chief Steven Stelter, president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, said he’s concerned about an overall rise in crime after recreational pot is legalized but doesn’t know whether crime rates will be affected specifically around dispensaries.
“It depends where they put these dispensaries” and whether they attract visitors from elsewhere, Stelter said.
His main concerns include black market cannabis flooding into Illinois as well as increases in traffic crashes and marijuana use among children.
“We’re just gonna have to sit around and wait — and we’ll be able to say I told you so in a few years,” he said.
In Illinois, a growing number of municipalities are moving to ban sales of recreational pot. Naperville’s City Council voted earlier this month to do just that. Weisheit said he isn’t surprised.
“That’s just being cautious,” he said. “But I’m guessing that the mindset will gradually change over time. First of all, as money rolls in. And secondly, as they see that it’s not turned out to be the series of terrible events that they thought might happen with legalization.”
Still, another study, conducted between 2012 and 2015 and published earlier this year in the Justice Quarterly journal, found that crime rates around Denver pot shops initially increased when recreational marijuana was legalized, but it then declined. And the correlation between crime and the shops’ presence weakened significantly over time.
Lorine Hughes, a University of Colorado Denver professor who co-authored the study, said the slightly conflicting results of the studies were likely attributable to their differing methodologies. While Mok-Lamme’s study analyzed individual census tracts, Hughes said her research focused on smaller areas. Her study also looked at a shorter period of time after recreational pot was legalized. She said because crime was very low to begin with in some areas she analyzed, it’s difficult to jump to too many conclusions.
She also said her results likely won’t translate to other cities: “You can’t say because this is what we found in Denver, this is what you’re going to find in Chicago.”
Bruce Barcott, senior editor of the pot news website Leafly, which is owned by a major investor in the pot industry, said his review of other studies, by and large, shows that “crime rates in communities where cannabis stores have opened have been either unaffected or the crime rate generally decreases.”
He said marijuana legalization “frees up cops to do their job.”
“Any time that you can free up police resources from an activity that really is not a crime and is no longer a crime, that’s going to positively affect the police’s ability to do their job across all aspects,” he said.
In what way?
By replying to a post about limited government and Constitutional bounds with collectivist twaddle about "benefits" and "debits" to "society".
That link has already been posted on this thread - and it’s already been pointed out that the link says:
“Colorado transportation and public safety officials, however, say the rising number of pot-related traffic fatalities cannot be definitively linked to legalized marijuana.
“Positive test results reflected in the NHTSA data do not indicate whether a driver was high at the time of the crash since traces of marijuana use from weeks earlier also can appear as a positive result.”
Yeah. Insurance should be for catastrophic situations. People who can't afford a lot should be given a low-cost option from a clinic, based on ability to pay.
If that's the solution for those people, it's the solution for pot users - not a ban on that which they misused.
“In 2016, of the 115 drivers in fatal wrecks who tested positive for marijuana use, 71 were found to have Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, in their blood, indicating use within hours, according to state data. “
““Colorado transportation and public safety officials, however, say the rising number of pot-related traffic fatalities cannot be definitively linked to legalized marijuana.”
Deaths were going down before and going up AFTER legalization.
I hope you are not trying to say driving after smoking pot is safe?
Deaths were going down before and going up AFTER legalization.
So you know better than Colorado transportation and public safety officials?
I hope you are not trying to say driving after smoking pot is safe?
No, that's another of your straw men.
“By replying to a post about limited government and Constitutional bounds with collectivist twaddle about “benefits” and “debits” to “society”. “
LOL! The post was about Freepers! I made a statement explaining why Freepers may hold certain opinions!
“So you know better than Colorado transportation and public safety officials? “
Once again you jump the shark on my posts!
Then you agree that driving after smoking pot is unsafe?
““Colorado transportation and public safety officials, however, say the rising number of pot-related traffic fatalities cannot be definitively linked to legalized marijuana.”
I think their has been an increase in ILLEGAL pot use sine legalization.
'Presumably, these figures came from the "National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2006-2011 and Colorado Department of Transportation 2012-2017," cited in a previous graphic.
'But CDOT's digits, which we shared last month, are completely different. They show that the number of fatalities involving a driver who tested positive for 5 nanograms or more of Delta-9 THC, the highly controversial state limit for cannabis intoxication, actually dropped from 2016 (52, or 13 percent of total drivers involved in fatalities who were drug tested) to 2017 (35, or 8 percent.)
'[...] plenty of other studies contradict the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area's findings, too [...]'
Just like there was an increase in drinking illegal alcohol when Prohibition ended? ROTFL!
There are unsafe levels for both pot and alcohol.
CDOT (your link)
“Marijuana and driving is still a huge problem in Colorado,” Cole maintains. “About 10 percent of our fatalities involve a driver who was at or above the legal limit for active THC, and we need to get that number way down. Any fatality above zero is one fatality too many.”
Buying from your neighbor is cheaper than going to the. pot shop.
Too many for what - keeping the involved substance legal? That would apply to alcohol too.
I think their has been an increase in ILLEGAL pot use sine legalization. [...] Buying from your neighbor is cheaper than going to the. pot shop.
Which, if true, proves what?
It’s because of cash.....given federal stance it’s hard to bank conventionally
Some of these places may have 150,000 or more in cash on hand
I’m pretty familiar with the business in Los Angeles and you’d be foolish not to have security like. Brinks etc
From your link. Dont attribute it to me!
“number of fatalities involving a driver who tested positive for 5 nanograms or more of Delta-9 THC, “
Maybe the limit is too high?
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