Did recreational marijuana legalization increase crime in the long run?

Abstract

This study comprehensively examines the long-term effects of state-level recreational marijuana legalization on crime rates by employing a difference-in-differences with multiple time periods methodology. The findings of this study do not yield conclusive evidence supporting a reduction in crime rates after legalizing recreational marijuana. Rather, they underscore notable positive associations with property crimes and suggest potential correlations with violent crimes, highlighting the critical need for continued research to help policymakers better understand the complex implications of cannbis policy and develop more nuanced, evidence-based approaches. Robustness checks, including synthetic control method and sensitivity analyses, confirm the reliability of these results.