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Brief Review of the Effects of Recreational Marijuana Legislation on

Academic Student Performance, Crime and Driving Accidents

Recreational Marijuana Legislation assault. In contrast, researchers from the with neighboring states during the 4-year period fol-
(RML) has raised many concerns about its universities in Washington and Utah com- that didn’t legalize marijua- lowing RML. In conclusion, it
positive or negative consequences. In a pared monthly crime rates in Colorado na sales. In contrast, a can perhaps be posited if there
previous report, the author reviewed the and Washington to crime rates in 21 states paper in 2019 compared would have been a marked
effects of RML on the use and abuse of that have not legalized the recreational use Colorado, Washington and effect of RML on traffic acci-
marijuana and other substances (Cannabis of marijuana. Crime rates came from the Oregon (all with RML) dents, studies would have
Law Report). The available evidence FBI's Uniform Crime Report in the years with nine neighboring been more consistent. Thus, it
showed that the effects of RML were mini- 1999 to 2016. The study found no statisti- jurisdictions without RML. can be safely stated that RML
mal if they existed at all. In a paper to be cally significant long-term effects of recre- There was a pooled step might have a mild effect on
published in the Journal of Drug Abuse, ational cannabis laws on the initiation in increase of 1.08 traffic traffic accidents and deaths if
the author now examined the effects of violent crimes, auto theft or property fatalities per million resi- it had an effect at all.
RML on students’ academic performance, crime rates in either Colorado or dents followed by a trend
crime and traffic accidents. Washington, with the exception of a reduction of −0.06 per BY WOLFGANG H. Conclusion
decline in burglary rates in Washington. A month. However, these VOGEL, PHD This review dispels general
First, did RML affect the second report found that the violent crime effects were similar in both concerns about the deleterious
academic performance of rate had declined, and the overall crime RML and non-RML states. A 2017 study effects of RML on the academic perform-
pupils and students? rate had remained at a 40-year level in the found that three years after recreational ance of pupils and students, crime and
There are few studies and data available State of Washington after RML except vio- marijuana legalization, changes in motor traffic accidents in that RML did not cause
on this topic. Nevertheless, data from lent crime which had actually declined by vehicle crash fatality rates for Washington any significant detrimental effects if it
Colorado (legal since 2012) showed that 10% between 2011 and 2014 including a and Colorado were statistically not differ- caused any effects at all.
school suspensions spiked between 2013 13% decrease in the murder rate. A study ent from those states without RML The
and 2014 but then declined significantly combining county-level difference-in-dif- Colorado Departments of Public health Wolfgang H. Vogel, Ph.D., is Professor
later on. After RML, expulsions decreased ferences found that RML caused a signifi- and Safety released the following fatal acci- Emeritus of Pharmacology and former
by 25 percent. The four-year graduation cant reduction in rapes and property dent figures of 359, 335, 388 and 335 from Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
rate rose steadily while the dropout rate crimes in Washington. A 2018 study using years 2014 to 2017.These data suggest that and may be reached at wuvogel@aol.com.
fell. SAT scores increased from 944 in 2016 a complicated quasi-experimental, multi- fatal accidents did not change significantly
to 1001 in 2019. In Oregon (legal 2015) group interrupted time-series design to
the graduation rate rose steadily after determine crime rates in Colorado and
RML. A comparison of 4 states with and Washington concluded that RML and mar-
without RML showed that the percentages ijuana sales had a minimal to no effect on
of 8Th grade math proficiency, 8th grade major crimes in these states. A survey,
reading proficiency, graduation and high interestingly coming from a University in
AP scores did not differ significantly Italy, found that legalization of recreational
among these states. Similar results were marijuana in Oregon and Washington did
obtained when examining the perform- not increase overall crime rates but
ance of college students. The undergradu- reduced rapes and thefts. In conclusion, it
ate graduation rate in Washington (legal can be safely concluded that RML did not
since 2012) in 2019 was about 38% for the cause a significant increase in crime but
first 4 years which is about the national actually might have shown no effect or a
average. Similarly, graduation rates in reduction.
Oregon rose over the last years and were
76% in 2017 and 79% in 2018. The Third, did RML increase the
University of Colorado at Boulder reported number of traffic accidents
that average cumulative GPA scores are and fatalities?
slowly rising from 3.04 in 2010 to 3.15 in This question is more difficult to answer
2019. In conclusion, available evidence because existing studies are quite contro-
does not show a deleterious effect of RML versial. A summary report of the
on the academic performance of pupils or Governors Highway Safety Association
student. concluded that fatal crashes involving mar-
ijuana increased in both Colorado and
Second, did RML increase Washington after RML. Marijuana-related
crimes in general? traffic deaths increased 66% in the four-
Available evidence is somewhat contro- year average after RML as compared to the
versial. A 2015 report by the Rocky four-year average prior to legalization.
Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking During the same time period, all traffic
Area Program Property showed that in deaths increased 16%. Analysts from the
Denver violent crime increased 6.7 %, all Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and
crimes increased 6.2 %, crimes against per- the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI)
sons increased 7.5 percent and crimes found that the frequency of collision
against property increased 6 % after RML claims per insured vehicle/year rose a com-
However, the report finished by saying bined 6 % following the start of retail sales
“This is not to infer that the data is due to of recreational marijuana in Colorado,
the legalization of recreational marijuana”. Nevada, Oregon and Washington, com-
A report in 2021 showed a crime-exacer- pared with the control states of Idaho,
bating effect as reflected by substantial Montana, Utah and Wyoming. A separate
increases in the rates of multiple types of HLDI study examined police-reported
serious crimes in Oregon following RML crashes before and after retail sales began
relative to non-legalized states. These in Colorado, Oregon and Washington and
included property and violent crimes over- found that the three states combined saw a
all, as well as other crimes such as burglary, 5.2 percent increase in the rate of crashes
motor vehicle theft, larceny and aggravated per million vehicle registrations compared

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