“Legalization may contribute to an environment that positively affects police officers’ performance in solving serious crimes.”
Police solved more violent crimes in Oregon after cannabis was legalized, states a new study from The International Journal of Drug Policy.
Oregon legalized cannabis in 2014 and the study tracked crime reports from 2007 to 2017.
That study, published in the journal Police Quarterly, found that clearance rates improved “significantly” in both jurisdictions following legalization.
“Current evidence suggests that legalization produced some demonstrable and persistent benefit in clearance rates, benefits we believe are associated with the marijuana legalization proponents’ prediction that legalization would positively influence police performance,” researchers concluded.
A 2019 report from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service that focused on 11 U.S. states also found that legalizing the recreational use of cannabis led to fewer arrests and court cases associated with the plant and no increases in arrests related to the transportation/trafficking of cannabis.
“These conclusions reaffirm the notion that states can sensibly regulate the adult use and sale of cannabis in a manner that doesn’t adversely impact public safety,” Paul Armentano, NORML’s deputy director, said in a statement.
“Moreover, in some cases, legalization may contribute to an environment that positively affects police officers’ performance in solving serious crimes,” Armentano added.
A Canadian study published in Addiction earlier this year also found that implementation of the Cannabis Act in 2018 appears to be associated with a 55 per cent to 65 per cent decrease in cannabis-related crimes among youth.
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