Crime drops in Colorado.... It's all about drugs

[PredFan]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Two different issues. "Over all crime" and "marijuana use" not the same thing. Very misleading. Why is that?

The common argument against legalization is that it would cause a high increase in crime. It's "still" a very common argument if you look around Heritage Foundation and other right wing think tanks. Colorado is plainly showing this not to be the case.

Well that is just plain wrong. However the article doesn't simply address that argument, it goes on to claim the legalized pot has caused all kinds if different crimes to decrease and that just cannot be the case.

 

[PredFan]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Two different issues. "Over all crime" and "marijuana use" not the same thing. Very misleading. Why is that?

The common argument against legalization is that it would cause a high increase in crime. It's "still" a very common argument if you look around Heritage Foundation and other right wing think tanks. Colorado is plainly showing this not to be the case.

Right, because ONE article claims it then by golly it must be true. and how nice you turned in to a right left ordeal

Those facts come from a study and they correlate to similar findings nationwide.

According to data from the Denver Police Department, violent crime (including homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault) fell by 6.9% in the first quarter of 2014, compared with the same period in 2013. Property crime (including burglary, larceny, auto theft, theft from motor vehicle and arson) dropped by 11.1%.

A study looking at the legalization of medical marijuana nationwide, published late last month in the journalPLOS ONE, found that the trend holds: Not only does medical marijuana legalization not correlate with an uptick in crime, researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas argue it may actually reduce it.​

Study Marijuana legalization doesn t increase crime MSNBC

You cannot show a correlation between pot use and homicide, sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated assault. That's silly. You can say that crime will go down statistically with the legalization of pot simply because there will be no one getting arrested for possession of said pot.

 

[PredFan]

I'm all for legalization of drugs, and I was hoping to get information eventually on crime stats in Colorado. I can't really use this article because it's deceiving. What does marihuana use have to do with some of those crimes? I can understand if there were fewer arrests, fewer people in jail, etc., but there has to be a connection from murders to marihuana use. Otherwise its a misleading and irrelevant statistic.

I was wondering about the cause and effect here too. The drop in crime rate is sudden and substantial so there has to be a link. Maybe lower alcohol consumption among the group most likely to commit crime?

I seriously doubt that any significant number of people who previously only drank, will switch to pot. In my days if smoking, when I smoked I craved alcohol as well. Pot and beer were always together with my and my friends. If someone could show a significant reduction in alcohol consumption corresponding to the legalization of pot then I might agree.

 

[PredFan]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Violent crime is down around 10% throughout the US. How about drug addiction and mental illness?

And then there is this stat.

 

[frigidweirdo]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Two different issues. "Over all crime" and "marijuana use" not the same thing. Very misleading. Why is that?

What? Are you trying to suggest something that no one else is talking about?

 

[frigidweirdo]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Violent crime is down around 10% throughout the US. How about drug addiction and mental illness?

Is it?

Down from when? How about murder? Down 50% too? And how about drug addiction and mental illness. Surely the right as a party of people making choices (should I snigger at this?) then people should be able to decided.

Most of the time the right couldn't give a flying feck if someone has mental illness or not, just makes them fry on the chair a little better that's all, right?

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

lol, you believe that I've got some swamp land to sell

Probably the fact it's WINTER might have something to do with it.

Is this more that small government you people are always espousing?

 

[PredFan]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Two different issues. "Over all crime" and "marijuana use" not the same thing. Very misleading. Why is that?

What? Are you trying to suggest something that no one else is talking about?

No. Did you read the article in the OP?

 

[The Rabbi]

How to explain murder dropping by 50%? It makes no sense.

 

[toxicmedia]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

I don't even do drugs, or alchohol anymore, because I'm one of the people who can't maintain when I do them...

And I think because the other 90% of Americans can moderate drugs and alchohol...almost all should be legal, to remove the criminal element from all of it, just like ending prohibition of alchohol did.

You want a more secure border?....cut the legs off of the drug cartels, legalize what they've been making money off of.

You want less crime in the US?...legalize what criminals in the US traffic in.

People will always abuse drugs and alchohol, all the laws in the world won't stop that

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

How to explain murder dropping by 50%? It makes no sense.

The 50% drop in murder rate may have nothing to do with marijuana being legal, but the point was legalizing it was going to increase all of these things. That clearly hasn't happened.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Good, no one should be going to prison for smoking some leaf. We're wasting billions on focusing on drugs...We should be focusing on real crimes.

 

[The Rabbi]

How to explain murder dropping by 50%? It makes no sense.

The 50% drop in murder rate may have nothing to do with marijuana being legal, but the point was legalizing it was going to increase all of these things. That clearly hasn't happened.

Strawman argument. No one argued murder was going to increase.
Besides, one year in is too soon to make many meaningful statements about the effects.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

How to explain murder dropping by 50%? It makes no sense.

The 50% drop in murder rate may have nothing to do with marijuana being legal, but the point was legalizing it was going to increase all of these things. That clearly hasn't happened.

Strawman argument. No one argued murder was going to increase.
Besides, one year in is too soon to make many meaningful statements about the effects.

Plenty of people said violent crime would rise.

 

[JFK_USA]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Two different issues. "Over all crime" and "marijuana use" not the same thing. Very misleading. Why is that?

They are related. Illegal drugs are the cornerstone of gang operations. It's where the money is. If the most popular drug is now legal, the people don't deal with drug dealers. Not to mention possession isn't a crime anymore.

If drug dealers and gangs are fighting or killing for territory, crime goes down. So yeah it makes a big difference

 

[The Rabbi]

How to explain murder dropping by 50%? It makes no sense.

The 50% drop in murder rate may have nothing to do with marijuana being legal, but the point was legalizing it was going to increase all of these things. That clearly hasn't happened.

Strawman argument. No one argued murder was going to increase.
Besides, one year in is too soon to make many meaningful statements about the effects.

Plenty of people said violent crime would rise.

Link?
Violent crime/=murder

 

[Katzndogz]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Two different issues. "Over all crime" and "marijuana use" not the same thing. Very misleading. Why is that?

They are related. Illegal drugs are the cornerstone of gang operations. It's where the money is. If the most popular drug is now legal, the people don't deal with drug dealers. Not to mention possession isn't a crime anymore.

If drug dealers and gangs are fighting or killing for territory, crime goes down. So yeah it makes a big difference

Not really. People will still deal with drug dealers to get drugs cheaper. Drug dealers fight for territory. They fight for market share. A legal outlet threatens territory and market share as much as another gang does.

Cigarettes are legal. Eric Garner died selling this perfectly legal product.

 

[PredFan]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Two different issues. "Over all crime" and "marijuana use" not the same thing. Very misleading. Why is that?

They are related. Illegal drugs are the cornerstone of gang operations. It's where the money is. If the most popular drug is now legal, the people don't deal with drug dealers. Not to mention possession isn't a crime anymore.

If drug dealers and gangs are fighting or killing for territory, crime goes down. So yeah it makes a big difference

You are on very shaky ground here. There are still other drugs. Drugs like crack, meth, heroin, etc. there is no logical reason to expect gang related crime to decrease, and you cannot show a correlation. Violent crime is down all over the country.

 

[PredFan]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Two different issues. "Over all crime" and "marijuana use" not the same thing. Very misleading. Why is that?

They are related. Illegal drugs are the cornerstone of gang operations. It's where the money is. If the most popular drug is now legal, the people don't deal with drug dealers. Not to mention possession isn't a crime anymore.

If drug dealers and gangs are fighting or killing for territory, crime goes down. So yeah it makes a big difference

Not really. People will still deal with drug dealers to get drugs cheaper. Drug dealers fight for territory. They fight for market share. A legal outlet threatens territory and market share as much as another gang does.

Cigarettes are legal. Eric Garner died selling this perfectly legal product.

Cigarettes might be legal, but apparently you cannot sell them the way Garner was. He was breaking the law.

 

[Nyvin]

American state legalises marijuana 8211 and crime drops 15 Metro News

"Anti-marijuana activists have warned that legalising weed would lead to increased drug addiction, mental problems and crime – but in Colorado, which legalised recreational use of marijuana, the opposite has happened."

"Overall, crime has fallen by 15% and murder has dropped by 50%."

"Sexual assaults and car crime have fallen, and violent crime is down 10% overall."

Two different issues. "Over all crime" and "marijuana use" not the same thing. Very misleading. Why is that?

They are related. Illegal drugs are the cornerstone of gang operations. It's where the money is. If the most popular drug is now legal, the people don't deal with drug dealers. Not to mention possession isn't a crime anymore.

If drug dealers and gangs are fighting or killing for territory, crime goes down. So yeah it makes a big difference

You are on very shaky ground here. There are still other drugs. Drugs like crack, meth, heroin, etc. there is no logical reason to expect gang related crime to decrease, and you cannot show a correlation. Violent crime is down all over the country.

Marijuana is easily the most commonly used drug in the US, and making it legal would most definitely decrease gang related crime. If the avenue to profit is no longer there for them they simply no longer have that means of acquiring profit, and their influence shrinks. It's not a hard concept.