Despite dire predictions by anti-marijuana activists, overall crime rates in the city of Denver are down more than five months after legal marijuana sales began in the Rocky Mountain state. According to the Denver Department of Public Safety, rates of violent crime are down, as well as burglaries, leading to an overall decrease in crime of 10.6 percent.
The city measured the number of reported crimes from January 1st to April 30th of 2014 and compared them to the same period last year, prior to the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana use.
The number of murders, sexual assaults, violent robberies and other assaults fell by 5.6 percent. The most dramatic decrease was in the number of homicides. In 2013, from January to the end of April, the city lost 17 people to murder. In the same period in 2014, only 8 died, a drop of more than 50 percent.
For some reason arson is up and so is petty larceny, but the crime spree predicted by some on the Right has not materialized.
I am not a huge advocate of legalizing drugs as a rule, but any changes in current law that keep non-violent drug users out of jail seems like a good idea to me.
And thankfully Alaska is about to get the opportunity to vote on a similar bill themselves, which overall I think will prove to be very good for our state.
I pray this doesn't lead to further drug use.
ReplyDeleteMarijuana is not a "gateway drug".
DeleteCIGARETTES are the gateway drug...
Prescription pain meds are THE gateway drug to the worst drugs...I live in CO, nothing has changed, we've always enjoyed our ganga, probably more than the rest of the country...the medical marijuana option was so lax it made the availability similar to what recreational use is now...
Deletepot crosses all political & socio-economic lines, we voted across the board for adults to make their own choices.
"For some reason arson is up and so is petty larceny,..."
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's because they get so spaced out that they aren't as careful with matches?
Good luck Alaska! I remember hearing of the legendary "Matanuska Mindfuck" 40 years ago.
ReplyDeleteAside for 6:25: I recommend you keep praying, it may help with your fear.
Considering how close the last ballot initiative was regarding legalizing cannabis use in this state, this November's ballot initiative has a very, very good chance of passing since they took out the some of the controversial wording regarding past offenders currently serving time.
ReplyDeleteHowever, look for a whole bunch of shenanigans coming from our AG and the Gov to keep this from becoming law once it is voted in. AND just list past passed ballot initiatives they didn't like, will do what they can to rescind it.
O/T but of interest to you Gryphen?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/when-global-warming-kills-your-god/372015/
The lastest on Bergdahl....
ReplyDeleteJuan Williams Slams GOP Who 'Flip-Flopped' On Bergdahl In 'Most Craven Way' (VIDEO)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/juan-williams-gop-bergdahl-flip-flip
The Swiftboating of Bowe Bergdahl Turns Into a Republican Disaster With Torture Revelation
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/06/08/swiftboating-bowe-bergdahl-turns-republican-disaster-torture-revelation.html
I'm pretty sure that FOR MOST PEOPLE marijuana is relatively harmless.
ReplyDeleteAnd for SOME people it should be MANDATORY.
..."Bloody Dick" Cheney, for example.
I think that the cannabis leaf is beautifully shaped. Perhaps it would make a sweet wallpaper pattern? It's big, so I'd use it for half the wall over a chair rail. Any takers?
ReplyDeleteAdd a few opium poppies and it's a deal! I'm sure Georgia O'Keefe would approve.
DeleteIt's like I said months ago, marijuana is completely different in effect than booze. Alcohol has no trouble fostering combativeness, especially if the drinker is in an already sour mood before the first swallow. That covers violent crime. It also fosters a sense invincibility, compatible with a broad manner of planned crimes, provided one doesn't get too fallen-down sloppy to execute them.
ReplyDeleteNone of this falls in line with marijuana's effect. Crime planning and execution requires exertion which the stoned person, now tranquil and contemplative, likes minimized. Sex is about the limit if you're lucky enough for it to be available, but without it, the stoned person wants to curl up, laugh, nosh, watch something stupid and funny (or fascinating) on television and fall off to sleep. It's actually quite difficult to be high on marijuana and discontent, argumentative, or trouble-seeking.
Unlike the pestering, insistently friendly drunk who won't be dissuaded, the more nuanced and affable sociability pot fosters is reason enough to hope it's legalized in more states. It would be a nice break from gun-fetishizing morons in Targets!
OMG! The for-profit prison industry might not make a profit! Quick! Make it illegal again!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to be angry or violent when you're feeling so mellow.
ReplyDeleteOnce these States see how much tax money Colorado and Washington are taking in, there will be a rush to make it legal.
ReplyDeleteI'm for it, especially with the crowded prison system clogged with people being processed for possession of small amounts for personal use. I'm for it for people who need it for medicinal purposes. What's always bothered me is Big Tobacco being legal years after it was proven to cause cancer, emphysema, and death. Why do drug stores carry cigarettes in front of the store, yet you have to walk though the entire store to get legal prescriptions? It's easier to get stuff that'll kill you than cure you.
ReplyDelete