Yo, what up fam! It’s ya boy Dan here droppin’ some knowledge on ya about the whole legal weed situation. So check it, more than half the country now has access to that good good legally. Ohio and Delaware are boutta start slangin’ from state licensed spots this year. Even Florida, the most strict state out there, is pushin’ for full recreational cannabis sales with a whopping 66% approval rate. But yo, what’s the deal with all them haters talkin’ ’bout how legalizing weed gonna make crime go up? Well, turns out the data ain’t backin’ that claim up.
So peep this, data from the Feds show that violent crime dropped by a hefty 15.2% from January to March 2024 compared to the same time in 2023. Murders went down by 26.4%, rapes by 25.7%, aggravated assaults by 12.5%, robberies by 17.8%, and burglaries by 16.7%. Property crime also took a dip by 15.1%, with motor vehicle theft down by 17.3%. And get this, these drops happened all across the US.
This ain’t just a one-time thing either. Crime been on the decline in the US for a minute now. So all those haters talkin’ smack ’bout how legal weed gonna bring more crime can take a seat ’cause the numbers ain’t addin’ up to that narrative. Studies even show that cannabis ain’t causin’ an uptick in crime.
My man Terran Cooper from Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP, a big-time law firm in the cannabis game, got some truth bombs to drop on y’all. He says that folks been usin’ the fear of more crime as an excuse to keep weed illegal for too long. But the real deal is that how a state handles their cannabis program can affect crime rates. Like in New York, where they legalized weed but didn’t set up enough licensed spots, leading to a rise in shady activities.
And my dude Jesse Redmond from Water Tower Research got some stats to back it up. In Colorado, havin’ more dispensaries actually led to less crime in the hood. Numbers don’t lie, fam.
But hold up, don’t think the cannabis industry is all rainbows and butterflies. California still strugglin’ with a huge black market overshadowin’ the legal shops. Tax burdens and lack of support are makin’ it hard for legit companies to compete with underground sellers. Even in New York, where they tryna roll out recreational weed but end up creatin’ chaos instead. The licensing process got messed up, lawsuits flyin’, dreams gettin’ crushed, and over 1,500 illegal spots poppin’ up in NYC.
And let’s not forget about those white collar criminals tryna cash in on the chaos in New York. With only a handful of legit stores and over 2,500 illegal ones runnin’ wild, it’s like a free-for-all out there. These shady operators ain’t playin’ by the rules and rakin’ in mad cash tax-free.
So yeah, legalizing weed ain’t makin’ crime spike like some people claim. In fact, it’s makin’ things safer and boostin’ local economies. So next time you hear someone talkin’ smack ’bout legal weed bringin’ more crime, hit ’em with them facts and school ’em on what’s really goin’ down in the streets.
Stay woke, stay lifted, and peace out!