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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]L[/dropcap]egalization in Washington has been a facet of life for several years now. As such, the data on cannabis legalization’s effect on the criminal justice landscape in the state is finally becoming available. The numbers appear to indicate that as of now, cannabis legalization has had a positive effect on criminal justice in Washington State with a decline in cannabis-related arrests and felony convictions.

A recent study has shed light on this topic. The study, titled “Marijuana Legalization and Crime Clearance Rates: Testing Proponent Assertions in Colorado and Washington State,” was headed by lead author David A. Makin, assistant professor at the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology and Research Faculty at The Washington State Institute for Criminal Justice. The study aggregated police data from Washington and Colorado to determine how the end of cannabis prohibition has affected policing in these states.

“The aim of this research was rather straightforward. The research team wanted to determine if legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado had an influence on police practice,” Makin told CULTURE. “Based on our existing research, we knew that if legalization were to have an influence, we would likely detect it in clearance rates. When you have a pivotal policy change like legalization, we would expect resources to shift.”

This data points to the fact that resources did indeed shift, and they are being used for more useful matters, suggesting a correlation between cannabis laws and criminal conviction rates.

“Based on our empirical study, we show that clearance rates were influenced positively for a range of crimes. What our research shows is there is a relationship between legalization of marijuana and improvements in certain clearance rates,” Makin explained. “However, this is not a cause and effect relationship. The next step of the research is to understand specifically how these rates were improved.

“The aim of this research was rather straightforward. The research team wanted to determine, if legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado had an influence on police practice.”

 

The data shows, unsurprisingly, a steep decline in cannabis arrests in Washington State following cannabis legalization. What’s surprising and encouraging however, is the data regarding the clearance rate (or rate of charges for crimes reported) of violent crimes in Washington State following cannabis legalization. Clearance rates for violent crimes in Washington State improved notably in the years following legalization, which appears to have positive implications for the theory that police now have time to focus on more important crimes, now that they’re not spending time and resources arresting and convicting adults for cannabis related offenses.

All these findings are encouraging for legal cannabis advocates. “One of I-502’s primary goals was to free up law enforcement resources to focus on serious crimes, so the WSU findings are welcomed news. Marijuana prohibition was a failed policy, which disproportionately impacted people of color, so it’s good to see that Washington’s new approach to marijuana is showing some promising signs of success,” Mark Cooke, policy director of ACLU of Washington’s Campaign for Smart Justice told CULTURE.

Another set of data recently put together by Washington State Caseload Forecast Council compared the rates of felony convictions for cannabis-related charges before and after cannabis regulation. Two sets of data on felony cannabis convictions in Washington State, one from June 2008 through December 2009, which makes up the pre-legalization data, and the other from December 2015 to June 2016, which make up post-legalization data, were contrasted assembled and analyzed by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The data indicates a dramatic reduction in felony convictions related to cannabis. The pre-legalization data showed 1,312 felony cannabis convictions, whereas the post-legalization showed only 147.

This data suggests that legal cannabis in Washington is accomplishing what it originally set out to do. A reduction in both cannabis-related arrests and felony convictions is an indicator that the black market sale and production of cannabis is on the decline. As time goes on, and more data becomes available, it will be interesting to see if these trends continue.

 

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