.jpg)
The FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report data shows
crime is down across California, and areas of country with most
medical marijuana states (Google Images)
There’s a lot of concern from citizens far removed from the medical marijuana movement regarding crime associated with new changes in the law. After over 70 years of misinformation and propaganda it’s no wonder confusion is so rampant.
With the exception of a few dispensaries being robbed, there have been no noticeable increases in crime near dispensaries. The simple fact that dispensaries have existed for such a short period in history also makes it very difficult to associate any increase in crime with dispensaries.
Additionally, sources like CNN have released stories this year about the possibility of an increase in crime in large cities being associated with the economy. How can one differentiate any increase in crime when factors like the economy exist. For this same reason is is impossible to say that dispensaries actually decrease crime either.
The theory that dispensaries cause crime leaves to question all the areas in the country with an increase in crime, but without any medical marijuana dispensaries. Unless a dispensary is directly involved in some sort of criminal activity it is impossible to say if crime increased in any area solely due to the dispensary. If crime were on an upward swing this would all matter, but crime is actually down and mostly so in the region of the United States where dispensaries exist.
Let’s take the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report. According to the data, the western area of the United States saw the greatest decrease in murders, and came in second to the mid-west in greatest decrease in violent crimes, aggravated assaults, and larceny.
Given the fact that the majority of the western states (CA, OR, WA, MT, NV, NM, and CO) in the country have legalized medical marijuana, it seems if legalizing medical marijuana causes crime there would be an increase in these crimes, not a decrease. More importantly, this area shouldn’t be the part of the country with the greatest decline if medical marijuana causes crime.
Since California has had legalized medical marijuana the longest, the data for this state was run through the Angela Macdonald number cruncher. Here are the shifts in some of the larger cities in California from 2007 to 2008:
Anaheim
Violent Crime: (-7.8%) Robbery: (-1.38%) Aggravated Assault: (-11.52%)
Property Crime: (-5.31%) Burglary: (-12.21%) Larceny: (-1.09%) Vehicle Theft: (-14.26%)
Bakersfield
Violent Crime: (5.92%) Robbery: (12.56%) Aggravated Assault: (1.57%)
Property Crime: (.64%) Burglary: (17.84%) Larceny: (-3.83%) Vehicle Theft: (-5.7%)
Chula Vista
Violent Crime: (-9.66%) Robbery: (-18.94%) Aggravated Assault: (-2.17%)
Property Crime: (-10.51%) Burglary: (-7.78%) Larceny: (-11.9%) Vehicle Theft: (-9.56%)
Fremont
Violent Crime: (-5.12%) Robbery: (0%) Aggravated Assault: (-8.98%)
Property Crime: (-5.41%) Burglary: (-15.09%) Larceny: (-0.29%) Vehicle Theft: (-9.83%)
Fresno
Violent Crime: (-8.58%) Robbery: (-10.87%) Aggravated Assault: (-6.15%)
Property Crime: (5.18%) Burglary: (7.08%) Larceny: (8.10%) Vehicle Theft: (-6.11%)
Irvine
Violent Crime: (-9.79%) Robbery: (22.73%) Aggravated Assault: (-26.32%)
Property Crime: (-1.38%) Burglary: (-29.04%) Larceny: (6.32%) Vehicle Theft: (-5.58%)
Long Beach
Violent Crime: (-7.82%) Robbery: (-1.26%) Aggravated Assault: (-13.16%)
Property Crime: (0.09%) Burglary: (6.02%) Larceny: (-2.43%) Vehicle Theft: (0.42%)
Los Angeles
Violent Crime: (-4.51%) Robbery: (-0.44%) Aggravated Assault: (-8.73%)
Property Crime: (-0.63%) Burglary: (0.49%) Larceny: (0.29%) Vehicle Theft: (-3.83%)
Modesto
Violent Crime: (-3.42%) Robbery: (-5.09%) Aggravated Assault: (-3.64%)
Property Crime: (-9.61%) Burglary: (7.99%) Larceny: (-10.65%) Vehicle Theft: (-25.31%)
Oakland
Violent Crime: (3.94%) Robbery: (-4.24%) Aggravated Assault: (11.11%)
Property Crime: (-9.2%) Burglary: (-5.36%) Larceny: (-0.44%) Vehicle Theft: (-18.89%)
Riverside
Violent Crime: (1.53%) Robbery: (5.83%) Aggravated Assault: (-3.26%)
Property Crime: (-0.85%) Burglary: (-0.85%) Larceny: (2.1%) Vehicle Theft: (-12.19%)
Sacramento
Violent Crime: (-9.13%) Robbery: (-12.34%) Aggravated Assault: (-6.91%)
Property Crime: (-7.79%) Burglary: (-3.8%) Larceny: (-4.12%) Vehicle Theft: (-19.15%)
San Bernardino
Violent Crime: (-3.53%) Robbery: (-9.63%) Aggravated Assault: (2.48%)
Property Crime: (-6.46%) Burglary: (4.04%) Larceny: (-5.32%) Vehicle Theft: (-17.4%)
San Diego
Violent Crime: (-4.5%) Robbery: (-3.63%) Aggravated Assault: (-7.34%)
Property Crime: (-8.61%) Burglary: (0.83%) Larceny: (-5.67%) Vehicle Theft: (-19.26%)
San Jose
Violent Crime: (-3.09%) Robbery: (5.24%) Aggravated Assault: (-7.09%)
Property Crime: (-7.33%) Burglary: (-22.30%) Larceny: (3.12%) Vehicle Theft: (-18.46%)
Santa Ana
Violent Crime: (-11.35%) Robbery: (8.09%) Aggravated Assault: (-27.04%)
Property Crime: (-10.48%) Burglary: (8.29%) Larceny: (-7.17%) Vehicle Theft: (-26.9%)
Stockton
Violent Crime: (2.51%) Robbery: (-3.53%) Aggravated Assault: (6.53%)
Property Crime: (-3.87%) Burglary: (7.38%) Larceny: (-5.78%) Vehicle Theft: (-11.97%)
With the exception of the occasional dispensary robbery, there is no evidence to show an increase in crime with direct connection to medical marijuana dispensaries. Even with these robberies in mind, it stands to question why any place is robbed.
After analyzing the numbers, it seems strange that anyone would try to say medical marijuana causes any crime. If anything, the data shows quite the opposite.
Logic determines that when a crime is no longer a crime there will be less criminals. What does it say when the primary reason produced by most of the counties, cities, and towns to support banning dispensaries is completely unfounded? What will the next excuse be?
Click here for more stories by Angela
Comments
Good read!! I was looking at the job related injuries in Oregon and they have dropped by 30% or more since medical cannabis was approved. I'm also very happy with Latin America taking a stand. I think they based their decision on the CATO study from Portugal. Any ways thank you again for another good read.
Thanks Angela! I have been reading your articles for a while now. I am continually amazed at the cool data you show! I have Epilepsy and use MMJ instead of pills. I have seen a decline in my seizures (grand mal) in the last 15 years. They went from 25-30 per month (uncontrolled with pills), to less than 5 per month. This happened in one week, the first week of my using. It has only progressed to better control and less severity of seizures in that time. I am continually amazed at the arguments people bring up... My favorite is the person sounding like Mrs Lovejoy on the Simpsons 'Wont somebody PLEASE think of the children!' LOL!
Keep up the wonderful work! Thank you very much. I also send your columns to friends of mine who have the opposite views; parents, relatives, others who send me articles. They all are grateful for your perspective. Even if they disagree, they talk about your evenhanded opinions and how they can see you side. Thanks again.
I actually live across the street from a dispensary/pharmacy for marijuana and I was worried when it went up, I have 3 children who like to "wander" sometimes. Well that was about 8 months or so ago now, and there hasn't been any problems whatsoever, I guess its not that big a deal. It was scary when I was picturing criminals hanging around my house, but that hasn't happened at all, most of the people I see go in there look like normal people and seem sober. I guess if I can live right by one and feel as comfortable as I do now, its really no big deal.
Wow! amazing so that what i was lokking for.
"What will the next excuse be?"
Why not keep recycling some of the most funny past excuses?
The one about men growing big breasts was fun. They could bring back the whole weed = devil thing. Better stay away from the one about pot making women loose and willing though. That could backfire.
The trouble with all anti pot propaganda is that not only lacks credibility, but that is it just so damn unamaginative and uninspired. Dreaming up anti pot propaganda must tax the brains of prohibitionists. The folks using US tax dollars to BS US tax payers would be wise to spark one up before sitting down to write scary propaganda lies. Pot inspired anti pot propaganda may be more believable. It couldn't possibly be more imbecilic or embarrassing.
Excellent well though out article. Thanks.
"Given the fact that the majority of the western states (CA, OR, WA, MT, NV, NM, and CO) in the country have legalized medical marijuana, it seems if legalizing medical marijuana causes crime there would be an increase in these crimes, not a decrease. More importantly, this area shouldn’t be the part of the country with the greatest decline if medical marijuana causes crime."
This is only friendly feedback. I really think you have good data points to go off of, but I think the language you use doesn't do it justice. I'd try and" tighten up" your language in certain places, especially when you are about to make a data-driven point. The above paragraph could read:
"Since the majority of western states in the US (i.e., CA, OR, WA, MT, NV, NM, and CO) have already legalized medicinal marijuana, shouldn't these crime rates have increased? If there is indeed causation here--which opponents to medicinal marijuana often claim--these crime rates definitely shouldn't have decreased as drastically as they did."
I would also have your close be:
"After analyzing this preliminary data, it seems strange that anyone would try to say medical marijuana necessarily causes any crime. If anything, the data show [data is plural, so "data show" is correct] quite the opposite trend, actually disproving the main argument cited by many counties, cities, and towns that support banning dispensaries.
So I must ask them, what will their next excuse be?"
Given this kind of close, I would say you should look into whether there is anyone who has ran various regression analyses on some of these demographic variables to actually see whether we can unpack what is driving these deltas in the crime rates cited above. Given what you've shown here, I would say it's definitely an interesting question that any econometrics student worth his salt could run for you given robust enough data (which the FBI site might have). However, though I don't wholeheartedly believe in econometric analyses, they are as far as you can go when trying to determine causation in these kinds of situations. Very interesting actually...
Said this in the past and I will say it again... Should California legalize marijuana, not only would the State reap the benefits monetarily (as they do now w/ medicinal dispensaries), I truly believe that there will be a much more significant decrease in violent crimes if California; a pioneering state in this particular field, were to fully legalize marijuana.
It is quite simple actually and of course all of the right wingers, tea party advocates and other group with a sort of tunnel vision - socially, will fight this as they do EVERYTHING.
The fact of the matter is...Numbers don't lie. Look at the data. Study the data without including your personal beliefs. Have a open mind, forward-thinker personality. Be apart of what good and much less about whats bad. If we are able to get the nay-stayers open to deliberation on the subject, i think all would agree that this would be a much needed financial boost to a state literally struggling to make ends meet.
Marijuana will and does lower the rate at which individuals commit violent crimes. Maybe they are just too lazy, tired,whatever. Fact of the matter is, something is working and I see a future of even greater reduction in violent crime directly related to the legalization of marijuana. Lastly, I'm sure everyone knows that Mexico and South America in general make billions of dollars off of the exportation of marijuana.
Do we want to turn the table on this fact so as to significantly help with US capital?
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!