In February of 2015, it became legal to grow and consume marijuana in Alaska. And, as has happened in Denver and Seattle, crime immediately began to increase after being stable or declining in the pre-legal pot era. According to the FBI's Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report for the first six months of 2015, the number of violent crimes in Anchorage (the only city reporting for Alaska) increased 34% compared to the same period in 2014. Murders were up 167%, and aggravated assaults increased 32% versus the first six months of 2014.
