The study concludes that the decriminalization of marijuana by Atlanta has led to an increase in crime, contrary to some critics’ warnings. Reduced Prices As police focus on more pressing matters, violent crimes have decreased.
Research was conducted to examine crime in relation to the reduction of the penalties in 2017 for the possession of marijuana. The punishment for possession of less than an ounce was up to 1 year imprisonment and a fine of $1500. The maximum civil fine was $75 and there were no possible jail terms.
Researchers found that while some people warned of a possible rise in criminality if penalties were loosened, the exact opposite was true.
According to the report, decriminalization “would have led to an overall reduction in violent crime” due to the fact that police resources were reallocated from fighting marijuana offenses to violent crime prevention.
Authors examined data collected by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports from agencies from 2015 to 2018 in order to arrive at this conclusion. The reports included crime statistics from almost all Georgia cities that had a population of over 25,000. The authors compared Atlanta’s crime rate with other cities in control that had not decriminalized marijuana.
The analysis concluded that, compared to the control cities in the study, “approximately 20 violent crimes were reduced per 100,000 residents per month” as a result of the decriminalization. That’s a 19.7 percent reduction from the pre-decriminalization average.
Our analysis shows that Atlanta’s violent crime rates declined after decriminalizing marijuana, compared with control agencies. These results are robust, even when using alternative estimation techniques, event studies or placebo tests. According to our estimates, decriminalization resulted in a 20% drop in violent crime rates compared with pre-policy levels.
The paper says the findings align with claims from Atlanta Police Department (APD) shortly after decriminalization that officers would “focus…on violent crime and crimes that truly affect people—things that endanger lives.”
“We want to fill jails with armed robbers, rapists, burglars, home invaders—we do not want to fill the jails with pot smokers. Carlos Campos was the APD Director of Public Relations at that time.
Atlanta’s reductions in violent crime are “in line with APD’s declared policy shift as leaders of the department emphasized reallocating resource to enforce violent crime.”
They added that “this decline in crime was not offset” by the displacement of criminals to neighboring counties.
Crime rates in the city were down more than one year after it was decriminalized.
In the report, it says that the results “support the idea” that the efforts to reduce violence in Atlanta were successful during the 15-month period following marijuana decriminalization.
The results of this study also match other research on the impact ending prohibition cannabis has had on crime.
The authors concluded that “our findings are in line with other research which suggests marijuana legalization doesn’t increase crime, and, in certain cases, may reduce violent crimes.”
The study also found that the property crime rate after decriminalization was unaffected.
Brian Meehan of Florida State University and two colleagues published the paper as a preliminary version earlier in this month. This paper was not peer-reviewed.
Prior studies have found “mixed results” in terms of crime. While some had no impact, others saw “decreases in crimes and improvements to police performance.”
The paper is part of a long-running debate on how drug policies affect crime rates.
Earlier in the year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia (R) warned that the legalization of retail marijuana would result in an increase in violent crime in Virginia and cause other social ills. The sponsor of a cannabis sales bill in that state, however, has contended that legalization would in fact reduce violence and illegal sales.
A top official from the governor’s administration in Florida warned that a vote would be held on the constitutional amendment legalizing cannabis for adults. Ron DeSantis claimed (R) that this reform will increase prison populations in Florida.
The Tampa Bay Times published an article by Ricky Dixon, Florida Department of Corrections secretary. Dixon stated that it is “highly likely” that the prison population of our state will increase due to crime associated with marijuana legalization.
Dixon also claimed that the inflow of prisoners will be a financial burden for taxpayers.
“Extending the prison capacities in our state will require substantial financial investment to manage the added burden on our institutions,” said he. It is important that Floridians fully comprehend the negative consequences of Amendment 3 prior to voting in November.
Chuck Schumer (D) was the Senate majority leader in 2022. He pushed back on assertions about legalization increasing crime.
In a statement to the press, he stated that “the overwhelming evidence” from states who have legalized marijuana shows there’s been no rise in crimes.
Cash is a major part of cannabis businesses, and this may make them more attractive to criminals. Experts wrote in a report by Congressional Research Service on Federal Reserve Policy published a year earlier that the limited availability of banking services exacerbated this problem.
The report stated that “If cannabis companies are not able to use traditional financial services they could face high borrowing costs, and be heavily dependent on cash transactions. This makes them an easy target for thieves.”
In terms of other reforms in the drug field, a study in New York City that looked at overdose prevention centres (OPCs) found no evidence to suggest an increase in crime.
The study published in JAMA Public Health found that the “initial NYC data do not support” these fears.
Legalization has also been shown to have local benefits. According to an analysis of data on college enrollment published in 2013, states that have legalized recreational marijuana (RML), “increase enrollments up to 9 percent without impacting degree completion rates or graduation rates.”
The report states that the increase in enrollments from out of state further suggests the policy change “boosts competitiveness in colleges by providing a positive benefit.” There is “no indication” the RML has an impact on college quality or prices.
Marijuana Consumers Respond Better To ‘Realistic’ Anti-Impaired Driving Message That Avoid Stoner Stereotypes, AAA Study Finds