The Cannabis Effect on Crime: Time-Series Analysis of Crime in Colorado and Washington State

Previous studies based on relatively weak analytical designs lacking contextualization and appropriate comparisons have reported that the legalization of marijuana has either increased or decreased crime. Recognizing the importance for public policy making of more robust research designs in this are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Justice quarterly 2021-06, Vol.38 (4), p.565-595
Main Authors: Lu, Ruibin, Willits, Dale, Stohr, Mary K., Makin, David, Snyder, John, Lovrich, Nicholas, Meize, Mikala, Stanton, Duane, Wu, Guangzhen, Hemmens, Craig
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amendment 64
Crime
crime rates
Criminal statistics
Decriminalization
Drug legalization
Drug policy
I-502
interrupted time-series analysis
Law
Legalization of marijuana
Marijuana
Offenses
Policy making
Property
Property law
Quasi-experimental methods
Sales
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Summary:Previous studies based on relatively weak analytical designs lacking contextualization and appropriate comparisons have reported that the legalization of marijuana has either increased or decreased crime. Recognizing the importance for public policy making of more robust research designs in this area during a period of continuing reform of state marijuana laws, this study uses a quasi-experimental, multi-group interrupted time-series design to determine if, and how, UCR crime rates in Colorado and Washington, the first two states to legalize marijuana, were influenced by it. Our results suggest that marijuana legalization and sales have had minimal to no effect on major crimes in Colorado or Washington. We observed no statistically significant long-term effects of recreational cannabis laws or the initiation of retail sales on violent or property crime rates in these states.
ISSN:0741-8825
1745-9109
DOI:10.1080/07418825.2019.1666903