Journal
JUSTICE QUARTERLY
Volume 38, Issue 4, Pages 565-595Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/07418825.2019.1666903
Keywords
Legalization of marijuana; Amendment 64; I-502; crime rates; interrupted time-series analysis
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Funding
- National Institute of Justice [2016-R2-CX-0058]
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This study used a robust research design to investigate the impact of marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington on major crimes, finding minimal to no effect on crime rates in these states.
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.
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