Legal Weed = Less Crime: FBI Data Shows Surprising Benefits Of Cannabis Legalization
This article was originally published on The Fresh Toast and appears here with permission.
The claim that crime would increase with the legalization of weed was a major talking point, but the data does not support it.
Over 50% of the country has access to legal marijuana now. Ohio and Delaware will start selling from state-licensed dispensaries this year. Even Florida, the largest nanny state, is voting for full recreational cannabis sales and has 66% public approval. But what about the claim allowing access to marijuana will increase crime? Well, data shows legal marijuana expands as hard crime drops.
Data released in June 2024 from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) show violent crime from January to March dropped 15.2% compared to the same period in 2023, while murders fell 26.4% and reported rapes decreased by 25.7%. Aggravated assaults decreased during the period when compared to the previous year by 12.5%, according to …