The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime: Evidence from State Panel Data, 1990-2006

Morris, Robert G.; TenEyck, Michael; Barnes, J. C.; Kovandzic, Tomislav Victor

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0092816

Cited by 92 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In column 1 we see that a general MML dummy has a nonsignicant impact on the violent crime rate. This nding corresponds with results in Morris et al (2014) and Alford (2014). However, columns 2 and 3 show that the eect of MML on violent crime is signicantly negative at states bordering Mexico.…”

Section: Empirical Strategysupporting

confidence: 92%

“…This conrms earlier analysis in Morris et al (2014) and Alford (2014). However, we do nd a signicant negative relationship between MML and crime in states that border Mexico.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…The magnitude of the estimate is surprisingly large, although we should take into account that the standard error is large as well. Morris et al (2014) suggest that the decrease in the homicide rate seen in the UCR data may have been caused by the fact that users in MML states have substituted marijuana for alcohol, which in turn decreased the amount of homicides under the inuence of alcohol. We nd no evidence for this hypothesis in the supplementary homicide data.…”

Section: Supplementary Homicide Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Anderson et al, 2013;Chu, 2012Chu, , 2013Pacula et al, forthcoming;Morris et al, 2014;Alford, 2014). Most related to our study are Morris et al (2014), and Alford (2014) which investigate the relationship between MML and crime. Morris et al (2014) nd no signicant relationship between MML and crime, with the exception of homicides for which the relationship with MML is signicantly negative.…”

Section: Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most related to our study are Morris et al (2014), and Alford (2014) which investigate the relationship between MML and crime. Morris et al (2014) nd no signicant relationship between MML and crime, with the exception of homicides for which the relationship with MML is signicantly negative. We conrm this nding, but we also show that there is a signicant negative relationship between MML and crime in the Mexico border region.…”

Section: Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime

2014

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We examine the eect of medical marijuana laws (MML) on crime treating the introduction of MML as a quasi-experiment and using three dierent data sources. First, using data from the Uniform Crime Reports, we nd that violent crimes such as homicides and robberies decrease in states that border Mexico after MML are introduced. Second, using Supplementary Homicide Reports' data we show that for homicides the decrease is the result of a drop in drug-law and juvenile-gang related homicides. Lastly, using STRIDE data, we show that the introduction of MML in Mexican border states decreases the amount of cocaine seized, while it increases the price of cocaine. Our results are consistent with the theory that decriminalization of small-scale production and distribution of marijuana harms Mexican drug tracking organizations, whose revenues are highly reliant on marijuana sales. The drop in drug-related crimes suggests that the introduction of MML in Mexican border states lead to a decrease in their activity in those states. Our results survive a large variety of robustness checks. Extrapolating from our results, this indicates that decriminalization of the production and distribution of drugs may lead to a drop in violence in markets where organized crime is pushed out by licit competition. * Michael Braun, the former chief of operations for the D.E.A., told me a story about the construction of a high-tech fence along a stretch of border in Arizona. "They erect this fence," he said, "only to go out there a few days later and discover that these guys have a catapult, and they're inging hundred-pound bales of marijuana over to the other side." He paused and looked at me for a second. "A catapult," he repeated. "We've got the best fence money can buy, and they counter us with a 2,500-year-old technology." New York Times, Keefe (2012)

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Section: Empirical Strategysupporting

confidence: 92%

“…This conrms earlier analysis in Morris et al (2014) and Alford (2014). However, we do nd a signicant negative relationship between MML and crime in states that border Mexico.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Supplementary Homicide Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime

2014

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Evaluation of State Cannabis Laws and Rates of Self-harm and Assault

et al. 2021

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Key Points Question Are state cannabis legalization laws with varying degrees of commercialization associated with rates of self-harm or assault injuries? Findings In this cohort study based on health insurance claims data from 75 395 344 beneficiaries between 2003 and 2017, rates of self-harm injuries among males younger than 40 years increased more in states legalizing recreational cannabis dispensaries compared with states without cannabis legalization laws. For other age and sex groups and for more restrictive legalization approaches, no association with self-harm and assault was found. Meaning States with recreational cannabis may benefit from monitoring levels of self-harm as a potential consequence of legalization.

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PROTOCOL: The effects of cannabis liberalization laws on health, safety, and socioeconomic outcomes: An evidence and gap map

Sevigny

Pacula

Aloe

et al. 2021

Campbell Systematic Reviews

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Cannabis is one of the most commonly used psychoactive substances globally, with an estimated 3.9% of the world's population aged 15-64 reporting past-year use (United Nations, 2020). Many world regions report higher annual prevalence rates (e.g., North America, 14.6%; Australasia, 10.6%; Western; and Central Europe, 7.8%), with certain countries in these regions documenting significant increases in cannabis use over the last decade (United Nations, 2020).Cannabis dependence accounts for a small fraction (5.5%) of the overall global burden of disease attributable to alcohol and drugs, but this burden commonly surpasses that of amphetamines in world regions with high rates of cannabis use (Degenhardt et al., 2013). Against this backdrop, many countries and US states have liberalized their cannabis laws over the past 25 years (Decorte et al., 2020). Between 1996 and year-end 2019, 33 US states plus the District of Columbia enacted medical marijuana laws granting authorized patients legal access to cannabis. 1 Moreover, since 2012, 11 states and the District of Columbia passed recreational marijuana laws legalizing adult use, including retail sales in nine states. These developments have led to a patchwork of state laws regulating access to cannabis through a variety of supply mechanisms, with state legislatures and citizen initiatives continuing to spur both new laws and amendments to existing laws (

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The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime: Evidence from State Panel Data, 1990-2006

Cited by 92 publications

References 28 publications

Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime

Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime

Evaluation of State Cannabis Laws and Rates of Self-harm and Assault

PROTOCOL: The effects of cannabis liberalization laws on health, safety, and socioeconomic outcomes: An evidence and gap map

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