This article was originally published on the Marijuana Patients Organization site on March 21, 2014.
A recent US analysis of crime statistics for 2013 contradicts claims that the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries are associated with elevated incidences of criminal activity.
On average, crime near medical marijuana dispensaries was marginally less than a city’s overall crime rate, this is according to police data in all cities that we analyzed with medical dispensaries.
Over 800 state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries currently operate in Colorado. The highest concentration of these facilities is in Denver.
The Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper reported, “Denver police have yet to find any correlation between the city’s approximately 175 medical cannabis shops and increased crime.”
A similar assessment of Los Angeles crime data also failed to establish a positive link between medical marijuana facilities and crime.
For more information about medical marijuana dispensaries, visit dispensaryassociation.org.