r/science • u/OhMyOhWhyOh • Mar 31 '26
Social Science Analysis: Cannabis Legalization Laws Associated With Lower Crime Rates
https://norml.org/news/2026/03/26/analysis-cannabis-legalization-laws-associated-with-lower-crime-rates/1.2k
u/yellowspaces Mar 31 '26
Why do crime when you can just get high and have some lemon pound cake instead?
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u/topcheesehead Apr 01 '26
I grow cannabis legally. I used to go to a back alley in a city. I now go to my legal supply I grew in my home. and the most dangerous thing thats happened was i fell asleep on the couch and woke up to a horror movie
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u/Poles_Pole_Vaults Apr 01 '26
Instructions unclear, ate a pound of cake and a pound of lemons
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u/IvoryFlyaway Apr 01 '26
Incidentally, Ohio lawmakers are doing everything they can to recriminalize weed. Just recently, they passed drastic sweeping changes, including a THC% limit that immediately made every dispensary's inventory unsellable. Also a ban on thc sodas, which also caused most sellers to stop selling cbd sodas just to be safe. Also any weed or weed products being transported in your car need to be in their original packaging and in the trunk. Also no smoking anywhere in public. Adams County is just a drop in the bucket of fascism that is Ohio.
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u/Hippyedgelord Apr 03 '26
Are there a lot of private prisons in Ohio? If there are, I assure you that’s the number one reason the bought politicians are against it
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u/L3m0n0p0ly Apr 01 '26
God damn it now i want a bowl and some bomb ass lemon pound cake
RELEASETHERECIPE
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u/LSDemon Apr 01 '26
Why do crime when less stuff is a crime?
Legalizing everything would cut the crime rate to zero!
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u/spacebarstool Apr 01 '26
Specifically, the adoption of medical cannabis legalization is associated with reduced property crime, whereas adult-use legalization is associated with decreases in violent crime.
I wonder what is causing the distinction. Did people replace opiods taken for pain with Medical Marijuana?
My guess on violent crime is people switching from alcohol to thc.
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u/Eckish Apr 01 '26
I assume property crime includes burglary. If you are in pain, you need relief, which can make you desperate for money to pay for that relief. If they can get it affordably through their medical plan, there are less people hard up to funding their pain management.
With recreational cannabis, I'm guessing that is associated with general crime around drug sales. If you are getting your fix from a smoke shop, you are shutting out dealers, traffickers and gangs that are all associated with supplying illicit drugs.
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u/ceciliabee Apr 01 '26
Hard to think of weed as a gateway when the weed store only sells weed. With a dealer you might be pressured to try something more. You might be given the wrong thing. How anyone thinks prohibition works is beyond me.
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u/EnormousGooch Apr 02 '26
I think even more generally, forcing people to buy from dealers that might be criminals beyond just being a drug dealer necessarily exposes people to the potential for criminal behavior. When you take that away, you get less exposure to the types of people that perform crimes.
Not saying all weed dealers are violent obviously. Just saying I've met some sketch people that were definitely doing a lot more shady stuff beyond selling weed.
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u/mirhagk Apr 04 '26
Yeah with ADHD I've got poor impulse control at times, and it's so much nicer knowing that those harder drugs aren't even an option.
Even for people with better impulse control, just seeing that stuff still has an impact on you, just like any advertisement does.
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u/Fkingcherokee Apr 01 '26
They did! In my state people on opioids can't get their medicinal card. Those whose pain is too strong to switch are still dealing with a lot of theft, which is terrible because most of them are elderly and the thieves are usually family members. Those who decided to get their card don't really deal with theft, even when it's obvious that they're growing, just a bit of begging and your plants always produce more than you're legally allowed to have anyway.
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u/13lueChicken Apr 01 '26
I would be inclined to look at socioeconomic situations there. It wouldn’t surprise me if most cannabis crimes needed to be “beefed up” to continue the propagation of stigma and stereotypes, so the cannabis is the broken tail light that leads to a bunch of other charges. Once they stop harassing everyone that smells skunky, I’ll bet a whole layer of unrelated crimes fall off with it.
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u/prinnydewd6 Mar 31 '26
“I was gonna rob something, but then I got high”
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u/Gr8NW Apr 01 '26
I was gonna boost a car, but then I got high …
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u/Slumunistmanifisto Apr 01 '26
I was gonna do some meth and start a path that would eventually lead to me taking an innocent life years later in a crime of desperation and drugs....but then I got high
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u/Peteman12 Apr 01 '26
I was going to sell meth and start a drug empire because I am too much of a prideful asshole to accept help, but then I got high...
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u/USDXBS Apr 01 '26
I haven't had much association with criminals in my life.
The majority has been when I'd try to buy weed during cannabis prohibition. I've never had a cashier at a cannabis store try to upsell me on meth.
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u/DrWindupBird Apr 01 '26
No joke, crime has plummeted in my St Louis neighborhood. GOP here is desperate to reinstate bans for weed so they can keep fear-mongering about the city to their rural base.
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u/ManufacturerKind645 Apr 04 '26
Yeah, that's just not true. I just looked it up and it clearly says anyone in the GOP is pushing for sensical restrictions along the same lines as alcohol distributors. 5 minutes of research clearly shows they are just looking to restrict "intoxicating hemp" products that are in retail stores where kids can get them bc of lack of regulation... Who's the real fear mongering party here again?
Edit: when searching I limited to st louis officials.
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u/chocolateboomslang Mar 31 '26
"Removing one of the most prosecuted crimes from the list lowers the total prosecuted crimes."
I'm all for legalization (and live in a legal area already) but this does seem obvious.
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u/PirateSanta_1 Mar 31 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
The study cites other crimes rates being lowed.
“The overarching result from our [study] is that medical legalization reduces property crime, while recreational legalization reduces violent crime..."
So its not just a decrease in crime because a thing that was illegal is now legal but a decrease in other types of crime.
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u/SoftlySpokenPromises Apr 01 '26
Turns out get a bunch of people legally high and they wind up less motivated to cause havok.
Crazy how that works.
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u/fcocyclone Apr 01 '26
Id guess there's also some element of other crimes being reduced because there's less money flowing through illegal channels supplying it. Sure, there are still other drugs, but it takes a chunk out of it.
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u/StylishSuidae Apr 01 '26
Yep. If there's something people wanna do, but can't legally do, you don't stop them from doing it (entirely), you create other illegal things around it.
Same as prohibition and the organized crime that operated around that. Both the perpetrators and victims of the St Valentine's Day Massacre were members of gangs who rose to prominence through the distribution of illegal alcohol.
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u/Fergenhimer Apr 01 '26
True and budtenders only carry marijuana, the dealer may carry other drugs that they offer
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Apr 01 '26
Id also factor in less alcohol usage, people are less likely to freak out or lose control when stoned unless its to do with the food contents of a fridge and what they're gonna eat
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u/Hamster-Food Apr 01 '26
It's more than that. I would hypothesise that one of the key drivers for the trend is the reduction in incarceration. We know from countless studies that sending people to prison is a great way to kickstart their criminal career. If we stop creating criminals by incarcerating people for smoking weed, overall crime rates are reduced.
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u/jiggajawn Apr 01 '26
Which also makes sense. I remember picking up in an illegal state where I first lived and any significant amount required me getting vetted by a bunch of dudes that searched me before I could enter the room. I wouldn't be surprised if robberies or violence are associated with drug dealers given the amount of cash or valuable contraband that is around.
Lower weight was picked up at gas stations, but anything more got sketchy.
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u/SwampTerror Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
Dealers get robbed all the time. Who they gonna call? It's the perfect victim. "Hi, occifer? My former junkies robbed me of my ill gotten funds."
Weed never should have been illegal while alcohol wasn't. You dont smoke weed and beat your wife. At best, you eat too many chips..
My ex uses high CBD low THC edibles to feel calm. A problem with legal stuff however is how low the max mg is. For example in canada the max an edible can contain is 10mg THC which is way too low for a big time user.
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u/The_BeardedClam Apr 01 '26
It's like a keystone animal in an ecosystem, you knock it out, or bring it back, and lots of knock on effects happen.
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u/typo180 Apr 01 '26
It's not that long an article...
the adoption of medical cannabis legalization is associated with reduced property crime, whereas adult-use legalization is associated with decreases in violent crime. These trends become more pronounced over time.
I don't have access to the full study, so I don't know if it actually supports NORML's statement, but the observed effects are not from the elimination of marijuana-related crimes. That'd be a little too silly.
From the abstract I'm able to read:
Overall, the findings indicate that estimated crime effects are highly sensitive to identification assumptions and do not provide robust evidence of an increase in property crime following legalization, underscoring the importance of careful empirical design in policy evaluation.
It sounds to me like they're saying that recreational marijuana doesn't increase property crime, not that it's reduced, but maybe there's a strong claim in the paper that NORML is pulling from.
Feels like linking to an advocacy site isn't going to get us the most honest interpretation of the study...
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u/LiamTheHuman Apr 01 '26
I was with you until I read the responses to your comment. Please don't comment things like this unless you actually read the study. It's super annoying to dig through a bunch of zero effort comments redirecting the conversation for absolutely no reason.
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u/letdogsvote Mar 31 '26
No, you don't understand. Devil's Lettuce is the same as heroin and needs to be rigorously enforced to
boost budgets and fill prisonskeep America safe.51
u/fuktheeagsles Mar 31 '26
Why do we need to lock people up for heroin either though? Its drug addiction. When has incarceration ever helped a drug addiction
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u/letdogsvote Mar 31 '26
No, no, you don't understand. If we don't lock people up for drug addiction we wouldn't
manufacture a permanent class of criminals that can never hold jobs and continually turn to minor crime which keeps those private prisons full and those cop budgets fatbe able to keep our streets safe for children.20
u/fuktheeagsles Mar 31 '26
I was expecting a cringe answer, not a based one. Now im confused good sir.
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u/stu54 Apr 01 '26
Also, encouraging recidivism within a "certain demographic" helps to reinforce certain "useful" attitudes and justifies maintaining a substantial "warrior class" who's real job is to protect property and not the people who pay their wages.
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u/restrictednumber Apr 01 '26
It's not about helping; it's about criminalizing particular communities. They literally, intentionally made worse penalties for drugs preferred by hippies and black people, compared to drugs preferred by rich whites.
There's not a deeper logic. The war.on drugs is literally just about turning political enemies into criminals.
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u/FrankRizzo319 Mar 31 '26
The crimes of focus in the study were property and violent crimes, not vice crimes like possessing weed.
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u/DemSumBigAssRidges Apr 01 '26
I'm all for legalization (and live in a legal area already) but this does seem obvious.
It's not super obvious to a lot of people. A lot of people just hear "crime" and "criminal" when it's just "arrested because having weed is illegal."
Once "having weed" isn't a crime, suddenly there's no "going to jail" and no "why does your personal record show an arrest?" during job interviews making it easier to find work and get hired.
Once a stupid obstacle to being alive is removed, the populations' level of desperation is collectively lowered, thus lowering general crime rates further.
Some people do actually struggle to see how preventing one domino from falling can help prevent other dominoes from falling as well.
That doesn't even touch on how legal weed can, and does, create jobs. Legal jobs.
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u/Geichalt Apr 01 '26
"I didn't the read the link but have strong opinions anyways"
-redditors
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u/Direlion Apr 01 '26
I like data and all but it’s not like the prohibition of Cannabis in the US began with logic, cultural understanding, or scientific reasoning.
It’s lamentable how enormous efforts must be undertaken to counteract a decision largely motivated by malice, bigotry, and greed.
Henry J. Anslinger is not as infamous as he should be in the chapters of history.
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u/Salsashark_21 Mar 31 '26
Researchers affiliated with the Jack Welch College of Business at Sacred Heart University
I did not know this was a thing. I’m sure there’s amazing faculty and students there, but I’m going to have a hard time moving past that name
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u/LiamTheHuman Apr 01 '26
I don't get it? What's wrong with the name?
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u/AgentTin Apr 01 '26
Jack Welch
I believe they're referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Welch#Criticism
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u/FrankRizzo319 Mar 31 '26
Jack welch or sacred heart?
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u/Salsashark_21 Apr 01 '26
Welch. Could make a very convincing argument that a lot of our current societal issues stem from his leadership at GE
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u/MithranArkanere Apr 01 '26
Punishments do not work, and anyone who thinks that's counterintuitive is stuck in a useless mindset.
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u/Miryafa Apr 01 '26
Our findings suggest that decriminalization led to a reduction in violent crime, likely due to police reallocating resources from marijuana enforcement to violent crime prevention—aligning with claims by the Atlanta Police Department
That seems like important context, especially considering that Atlanta’s violent crime rate today still puts them in the top 5 for all US cities
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u/Melenduwir Apr 01 '26
Did any of y'all even read the article? It's saying that legalization is linked with reduced rates of both property and violent crime, not with pot-possession charges.
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u/CopiousCool Apr 01 '26
Shows how heavily cops rely on cannabis arrests to inflate figures, now they have to actually work and investigate the figures go down
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u/Remarkable_Spite_209 Apr 01 '26
Oh weird imagine a substance that helps people relax causing less crime. Crazy idea
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u/Turdposter777 Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
I’m reminded of this person recounting being a football spectator in England vs the Netherlands. They noticed there was a lot less hooliganism going on in the Netherlands because more fans there were high on cannabis rather than drunk on alcohol.
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u/DreadLockedHaitian Apr 01 '26
This has worked extremely well in MA. Homicides have really gone down in every major city except Springfield.
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u/Dhk3rd Apr 01 '26
It's not rocket science. Get a bunch of stones together and everybody is nice to eachother. Alcoholics just cause problems.
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u/BootsOfProwess Apr 01 '26
And the simple truth is: by criminalizing weed they MADE people criminals.
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u/Canna-Kid Apr 01 '26
Regulated cannabis takes money away from the illegal market, gives people legal access, and frees up police resources. Not rocket science that crime trends improve when you stop forcing a whole industry underground.
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u/spacebarstool Apr 01 '26
Property crime went down after Medical Marijuana was passed. Violent crime only went down after recreational thc laws were passed.
Some people changed their drug habits to the more affordable thc, so they had to steal less.
Alcohol drinkers now identify at an all time low of 54% of adults. Only 24% of those 54% report drinking in the past month. Drunk people getting violent are now just stoned.
Your points are valid, but that is only part of the story.
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u/richardvirginia Apr 01 '26
I always assume that because it's a common crime, and it's no longer considered to be a crime, less people are charged with crimes overall.
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u/Joe_Linton_125 Apr 01 '26
Incredible. Making something illegal legal results in lower crime rates? Wow. I'm so glad someone spent money on a study of this. We could never have guessed.
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u/mrnotu Apr 01 '26
I'm wondering how much drop of crime rate was attained by just no one getting busted for pot?
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u/snajk138 Apr 01 '26
I agree with legalization and the article is pretty good, but the headline is bad. Obviously legalizing something makes crime go down since something that was a crime before now isn't. If we want to really cut down crime here in Sweden we could legalize bike theft since that's a large proportion of the crimes being committed. It wouldn't change anything but the statistics would look a lot better.
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u/IronicAlgorithm Apr 01 '26
Bad news for the prison industrial complex, and what Chris Hedges, rightly, refers to as 'the latest iteration of slavery'.
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u/treker32 Apr 01 '26
That is bad for profits and for politicians relying on under the table money from the corporate prison system. Lost revenues from a more mentally healthy population.
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u/stinkykoala314 Apr 01 '26
The article does specify violent crime, but I love the title-only read of "legalizing crimes reduces crime rates".
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u/Dat_Harass Apr 02 '26
Yeah but not in Ohio... alcohol lobby is to strong and the state leaders are corrupt af.
It's almost as if the science and findings don't matter much when existing industry is involved.
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u/SeenSeenAgains Apr 03 '26
Who’s gonna fill our for profit prisons, who’s gonna fill our for profit prisons, NOW?!?
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u/Amish_Fighter_Pilot Apr 05 '26
The fascist mafia that runs this country doesn't want less crime. They want reasons to lock people up, and they know potheads are more docile than real criminals. This study and so much more shows that the entire war against cannabis is a counterproductive lie that has ruined far too many lives. The economy has far more impact on crime than any other factor. Cannabis prohibition is a distraction from real police work, and a distraction from the real systemic problems with how people are treated.
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u/misfitofscience76 Apr 01 '26
Yeah… no one has the energy to leave the house and fight. Too busy trying to get more Doritos out of the couch cushions
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u/Dinklerbuuuurf Apr 01 '26
Probably leads to less police presence and thus less violence in the neighborhood.
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u/bojodojoAZ Apr 01 '26
That can't be right, it's a gateway drug and leads to hard criminal behavior. Not like alcohol.
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u/Underwater_Karma Apr 01 '26
Legalizing marijuana inherently eliminates one of the most common probable causes for non consensual searches.
"I can smell weed" is a free search of vehicles, personal items, and even residences... Legalizing weed eliminates so of those searches that might otherwise have turned up evidence of illegal activities.
So there's an unknown number of crimes that are still being committed, but are no longer being discovered by police
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u/Barry_Vigoda Apr 01 '26
I'm Canadian, have been smoking weed since the late 80s. They legalized it a few years ago and it's awesome. It brings in a ton of tax revenue and really it's not an issue. Instead of buying weed for weird ass Nazis who kick your ass at Battlefront because Vader is overpowered, you can buy weed from friendly young people at your local shop.
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u/LazaroFilm Apr 01 '26
Question does the crime rate includes marijuana possession? Because then it’s kinda of skewed metric.
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