Study: legalizing cannabis doesn't create violence, it reduces it

A group of researchers from the University of Bologna, Italy, recently conducted a study which flies in the face of the conventional wisdom that cannabis legalization would lead to an increase in violence.

After comparing violent crime rates in Washington and Oregon between 2012 and 2014, the results showed a post-legalization decrease in cannabis.

Legalization was associated in these states with decreases of 15 to 30% in rapes and 10 to 20% in robberies. These findings are similar to those drawn up by the State of Washington.

The researchers put forward 4 reasons why cannabis legalization reduces the number of violent crimes:

• the product's legality reduces the likelihood of consumers or growers engaging in violent activities
• the cannabis trade is no longer run by gangs
• the police deal with the really important crimes
• access to cannabis reduces the use of substances that generate violence, such as alcohol and cocaine

This study therefore challenges the assertions of Jeff Sessions which directly linked cannabis to violent crime. «I think it's a harmful practice, and the current THC levels in cannabis are very high compared to what they were a few years ago, and we're seeing violence everywhere.»

Any resemblance to phrases uttered by French politicians is purely coincidental!