A trio of recent studies provides evidence that directly contradicts major talking points that are often used by special interests opposed to the legal cannabis industry. The first pertains to crime, the second to youth cannabis consumption, and the third to motor vehicle safety.
Cannabis industry opponents frequently make the claim that if legal cannabis sales are permitted, a spike in crime will occur in the area surrounding where legal sales are allowed. A researcher at Brock University examined crime data in Toronto and Ottawa, where adult-use cannabis sales are legal. His findings were published in The International Journal of Drug Policy.
“When the Canadian government legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, one stated goal was to reduce cannabis-related crime. Conversely, some residents worried that allowing cannabis stores would instead trigger more crime nearby. This study tested whether police-reported crime levels changed in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Ottawa after the first group of licensed stores opened in April 2019.” the researcher wrote.
“During the period studied, police reported 31,095 crimes within 3000 meters of stores. Monthly levels were slightly higher after April 2019 than before. That increase showed significant associations with warmer winter weather and pre-existing trends, but not with cannabis store proximity.” the researcher determined.
“These results were robust with respect to several alternative analyses. Overall, the study found no significant associations between crime levels and legal cannabis store openings in these cities.” he concluded.
Separately, a large team of researchers affiliated with various Canadian universities and health institutions conducted a study focused on whether increased cannabis retail accessibility impacted youth cannabis consumption rates. The study’s findings were published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
“This study examined whether spatial accessibility to cannabis retailers was associated with cannabis use among secondary school students.” the study’s authors wrote. “Repeat cross-sectional data were drawn from the COMPASS study (2018–2023), including 419,887 students across Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Student survey data were linked with geospatial measures of cannabis retail accessibility, including distance to nearest retailer, retailer density, and inverse distance weighted density within 2000 m of schools.”
“Cannabis use declined over time, with past 12-month use decreasing from 22.2% in 2018–10.0% in 2023.” the researchers found. “Associations between spatial accessibility measures and cannabis use outcomes were generally small, inconsistent, and often non-significant. Sensitivity analyses across 264 model specifications supported null effects.”
Lastly, a different team of researchers affiliated with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation and the Institute for Highway Safety assessed whether Canadian cannabis legalization was associated with an increase in fatal motor vehicle crashes. Cannabis opponents frequently incorporate a ‘terror on the roadways’ scare tactic leading up to cannabis legalization.
“This study examined the effects of recreational cannabis legalization on road crashes in Canada.” the researchers wrote. “The time-series and before-after methods found no statistically significant impact of cannabis legalization on fatal THC-positive crashes or all crashes.”
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