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Marijuana Legalization and Crime
The relationship between marijuana legalization and crime rates in the U.S. is complex, but overall, studies have not found evidence that legalizing marijuana increases crime. In some areas, certain types of crime have even decreased.
Key findings from research:
1. No Increase in Violent Crime
- Studies from states like Colorado and Washington (the first to legalize recreational marijuana) show no significant rise in violent crime or property crime after legalization.
- Some areas near the U.S.–Mexico border even saw a decline in violent crime, possibly due to reduced drug trafficking violence.
2. Reduction in Marijuana-Related Arrests
- One clear effect is that arrests for marijuana possession drop sharply, which can significantly reduce overall arrest numbers.
- This frees up police resources for other types of crime.
3. Property Crime Effects Are Mixed
- Some studies found small decreases in property crime, while others found no change.
- Legal dispensaries with security measures may even deter local crime in some neighborhoods.
4. DUIs and Traffic Incidents
- While general crime doesn’t increase, traffic incidents involving marijuana may rise slightly, though the link is debated and varies by state.
Summary:
Legalizing marijuana does not appear to increase overall crime and may even be associated with a decline in certain crimes, especially drug arrests. However, it doesn’t cause a major drop in crime either—most changes are modest and vary by region.
Car Accidents Involving Alcohol
The exact percentages of car accidents involving alcohol (DUI) versus marijuana (THC) vary by state and study, but overall alcohol is far more commonly involved in crashes than marijuana.
Here’s a breakdown based on national U.S. data and research:
Percentage of Car Accidents Involving Alcohol
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- About 30% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. involve alcohol-impaired drivers (BAC ≥ 0.08%).
- That’s about 1 in 3 deadly crashes.
- Alcohol is the leading substance in impaired driving fatalities.
Percentage of Car Accidents Involving Marijuana
- Data varies, but generally:
- 10–15% of drivers in fatal crashes test positive for THC (the active compound in marijuana).
- However, testing positive doesn’t always mean impairment, because THC can remain in the body for days or weeks after use.
Important:
- THC-related impairment is harder to measure than alcohol.
- There is no nationally agreed limit like 0.08% BAC for alcohol.
- Marijuana-involved crashes increased slightly in some states after legalization (e.g. Colorado), but they are still significantly lower than alcohol-related crashes.
Side-by-Side Comparison (Estimates from studies and traffic reports):
Substance
Alcohol
% of Fatal Crashes Involving Substance
~30%
Substance
Marijuana
% of Fatal Crashes Involving Substance
~10–15% (positive test, not always impaired)
Conclusion:
Alcohol is involved in about 2–3 times more fatal crashes than marijuana. While marijuana-impaired driving is a real concern, alcohol remains the dominant factor in impaired driving deaths in the U.S.
By ChatGPT
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Thailand moves to recriminalize cannabis, shaking $1 billion industry | REUTERS
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Thai cannabis stores fear for their future
“Cannabis will be classified as a narcotic in the future,” Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin declared on Tuesday. The move by the Pheu Thai government is expected to plunge into limbo an industry estimated to be worth over $1 billion that has boomed since cannabis was taken off the country’s narcotics list in 2022.
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Mas Simpsons aqui
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(by Michael Ast)
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Thai Weed Heats Up: Advocates Against Reclassification, Push for Cannabis Act
“Prasitchai explained that the network has proposed forming a joint committee to research cannabis in four dimensions:
Whether cannabis poses more health risks than cigarettes and alcohol.
Whether cannabis has caused more severe social harm in the last two years compared to cigarettes and alcohol.
Whether the medicinal properties of cannabis are superior to those of cigarettes and alcohol.
Whether cannabis actually causes psychiatric disorders and brain damage in young people, as claimed by the government.
Once the research is complete, the results should determine the legal status of cannabis. If cannabis is found to be no more harmful than cigarettes and alcohol and is not a cause of psychiatric disorders or brain damage, it should be regulated under a cannabis law. If it proves to be more harmful, it should come under the Narcotics Act.”
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Tobacco, alcohol, processed foods and fossil fuels ‘kill 2.7m a year in Europe’
“In a groundbreaking report, the WHO said powerful industries were driving ill-health and premature death by using ‘misleading’ marketing and interfering in governments’ efforts to prevent killer diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.”
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Brazil’s Supreme Court decriminalizes possession of marijuana for personal use
“The Supreme Court’s ruling has long been sought by activists and legal scholars in a country where the prison population has become the third largest in the world. Critics of current legislation say users caught with even small amounts of drugs are regularly convicted on trafficking charges and locked up in overcrowded jails, where they are forced to join prison gangs.”
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California reaped $270M from marijuana tax last quarter. Where does $ go?
“So where does all this cannabis tax money go?
As Dallal said, it’s targeted for ‘good things’: State-funded projects like transportation initiatives, libraries, environmental cleanups, drug prevention, schools and universities.”
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Marijuana was supposed to help Thailand. Why is the country planning to ban it again?
“Given the problems and the politics, even the former health minister who led the drive to decriminalize pot has grudgingly pledged his support for undoing that decision. ‘We can’t take a personal attitude towards this,’ Anutin, who has since joined the current government as interior minister, recently told local media. But making cannabis illegal again is unlikely to go down easily.”
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Cannabis Use Linked to Lower Rates of Prostate Cancer, Study Shows
“PC prevalence was lower among current marijuana users (46/145, 31.7%) and former users (323/1021, 31.6%) compared to non-users (534/1337, 39.9%, p < 0.001),” the report reads. “PC prevalence was lower among users versus non-users in the elderly (≥65) (36.4% vs. 42.4%, p = 0.016) and non-Hispanic white subgroups (28.9% vs. 38.3%, p < 0.001). There were no significant PC prevalence differences between users and non-users in the younger population (50-64) or other race/ethnicity. In the multivariable analyses, former marijuana use was associated with lower PC compared to never using (odd ratio = 0.74, 95% CI 0.62-0.90, p = 0.001). Current use was also suggestive of reduced prevalence but was not statistically significant (odd ratio = 0.77, 95% CI 0.52-1.14, p = 0.198), possibly due to low sample size. Our findings from a large national survey provide additional data to link marijuana use with lower PC prevalence.”
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Cannabis Tops Alcohol as Americans’ Daily Drug of Choice
For the first time on record, cannabis has outpaced alcohol as the daily drug of choice for Americans.
In 2022 there were 17.7 million people who reported using cannabis either every day or nearly every day, compared with 14.7 million who reported using alcohol with the same frequency, according to a study, published on Wednesday in the journal Addiction that analyzed data from the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
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420 (cannabis culture) – Wikipedia
In 1971, five high school students in San Rafael, California,[5][6] used the term “4:20” in connection with a plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop, based on a treasure map made by the grower.[7][8] Calling themselves the Waldos,[9][10] because their typical hang-out spot “was a wall outside the school”,[11] the five students—Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich[12]—designated the Louis Pasteur statue[13] on the grounds of San Rafael High School as their meeting place, and 4:20 pm as their meeting time.[11] The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase “4:20 Louis”. After several failed attempts to find the crop, the group eventually shortened their phrase to “4:20”, which ultimately evolved into a code-word the teens used to refer to consuming cannabis.[7]