Reefer Madness to Marijuana Legalization

Abstract

American attitudes toward marijuana have varied greatly from the time it was criminalized in the 1930s through the present day, and public opinion favoring the legalization of marijuana has steadily risen since 1990. It is generally well accepted that the media played a large role in shaping not only marijuana laws but also the general public’s attitudes toward marijuana. As such, this study utilized General Social Survey data to examine the relationship between media exposure and attitudes toward the legalization of marijuana from 1975 through 2012, 1975 through 1990, and 1991 through 2012. The findings indicate that while media exposure was not significantly related to attitudes about marijuana legalization from 1975 through 1990, both television and newspaper exposure had a significant positive relationship with favor toward the legalization of marijuana from 1991 through 2012.

The Criminogenic Effect of Marijuana Dispensaries in Denver, Colorado: A Microsynthetic Control Quasi-Experiment and Cost-Benefit Analysis

“…However, this negative external affect also exists for any person-generating establishment or business improvement district (Clutter, Henderson, & Haberman, 2019), and is not exclusively specific to recreational dispensaries. Given the recent changes in public attitudes towards marijuana (Felson et al, 2019;Stringer & Maggard, 2016), a similar acceptance of recreational marijuana dispensaries may be present amongst the public even amidst crime related concerns.…”

“…Despite growing public support for marijuana legislation (Felson, Adamczyk, & Thomas, 2019;Stringer & Maggard, 2016), and the continued passing of state-level legislation in the US, 1 little is known about the potential criminogenic effect of opening a recreational marijuana dispensary. The existing research base has been primarily conducted at larger spatial extents, is focused on medical marijuana dispensaries (Morris, TenEyck, Barnes, & Kovandzic, 2014;Zakrzewski, Wheeler, & Thompson, 2019), and demonstrates that medical dispensaries usually do not have a significant effect on crime (Freisthler, Kepple, Sims, & Martin, 2013).…”

Cannabis for medical and scientific purposes: the Colombian landscape

“…(13) The changing historical connotations given to cannabis have influenced the perception by the population and the authorities about the use of the plant and at the same time have influenced the willingness of the healthcare authorities to allocate resources for research. (14) Likewise, the perceptions of healthcare practitioners have also been influenced by the social context of cannabis during the 20 th century. (15)…”

Crime in a Time of Cannabis: Estimating the Effect of Legalizing Marijuana on Crime Rates in Colorado and Washington Using the Synthetic Control Method

“…The authors acknowledge that speculative and propagandized concerns about "reefer madness" type rhetoric around marijuana use and behavioral changes that culminate in crime may impact marijuana policy reform (Carroll, 2004;Stringer & Maggard, 2016). Concerns surrounding marijuana as being addictive, a gateway drug, more dangerous than alcohol and tobacco, and that decriminalization sends a message that people, including youth, should be using it, in addition to claims that marijuana legalization is causing more serious crime (Mosher & Akins, 2014), have stymied reform efforts.…”