Report: Marijuana Legalization May Have Led to Drop in Murder and Rape Rates in Washington and Oregon
A new report by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) has found that marijuana legalization may have helped to reduce rape and murder rates in both Washington and Oregon.
In their second assessment report on the impact of marijuana legalization, WSIPP also found no evidence that marijuana legalization has increased marijuana usage rates among adults or adolescents, and found legalization to have no impact on hard drug use, property crimes or violent crimes.
“[A]mong respondents under age 21, those living in counties with higher sales were significantly less likely to report use of cannabis in the past 30 days”, says , poliyical director for NORML, speaking on the report. Stekal says the report shows “evidence that nonmedical legalization in Washington and Oregon may have led to a drop in rape and murder rates”.
For the full WSIPP report, click here.
The report is the second of four WSIPP is required to do, the first being in 2015, the next being in 2022, and the final one in 2032.
