Crime rates in Colorado and Washington didn't change after legalizing adult-use cannabis, proving that the supposed link between weed and violent crime is yet another prohibitionist myth.

A rigorous new research study has confirmed prior research findings: Cannabis legalization is not linked to an increase in violent crime, as prohibitionists often claim.

The study, conducted by researchers from Washington State University, Stockton University in New Jersey, and the University of Utah, examined 20 years worth of FBI crime statistics to determine whether violent crimes increased in states that legalized weed compared to states that did not. The results of this research, which was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Justice, were recently published in Justice Quarterly, a publication of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

“As the nationwide debate about legalization, the federal classification of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, and the consequences of legalization for crime continues, it is essential to center that discussion on studies that use contextualized and robust research designs with as few limitations as possible,” said Dale W. Willits, assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at WSU and co-author of the study, according to Mirage News. 

“This is but one study and legalization of marijuana is still relatively new, but by replicating our findings, policymakers can answer the question of how legalization affects crime,” Willits added.