crime

Georgia's Constitutional Court has decriminalized marijuana use. The court ruled on November 30 that the use of marijuana or other forms of cannabis-based drugs cannot be considered a crime. Georgia's existing Criminal Code defines repetitive use of marijuana and possession of more than 70...

After previously planning to ban medical marijuana dispensaries, Coral Gables leaders are changing their stance and going back to the drawing board to decide how to regulate the businesses. Commissioners decided not to take a final vote on the ban at Tuesday's meeting. Instead, in response to...

The Stockton Planning Commission has voted to allow the city's first medical marijuana cultivation site. An 11,000 square-foot warehouse on Navy Drive was permitted for use as an indoor nursery capable of producing 1,700 pounds of cannabis annually. Doug Chloupek obtained the permit saying...

When Washington legalized recreational marijuana about five year ago, opponents warned violent crime would increase. Crime statistics tell a different story. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that the violent crime rate per capita in the state has gone down steadily since voters...

Nearly half of Americans support legalizing marijuana for recreational use and a strong majority believe it should at least be available for medical reasons, according to a new poll. The latest Harvard—Harris Poll survey found that 49 percent of Americans polled believe marijuana should be...

An upcoming report from a U.S. Department of Justice task force is expected to link marijuana use to violent crime, which some fear might signal the start of a Trump administration crackdown on weed. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been quick to tie marijuana use to violent crime in...

A new Department of Justice report on violent crime and marijuana will pave the way for the Trump administration to crack down on the drug, campaigners and lawmakers say. The Trump administration's Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety, led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is to...

Nearly a half a century of America's "War on Drugs" has produced the largest prison population in the world, devastated minority communities and contributed to an opioid epidemic that claims more than 20,000 lives a year. Two decades of progressive marijuana legalization at the state level has...

new study co-written by a UC Irvine business professor has found no correlation between the closure of marijuana dispensaries and reduced crime rates near them. Rather, it discovered the opposite. The paper, written by UCI's Mireille Jacobson and USC professor Tom Y. Chang, studied the...

Allegations surrounding the supposed dangers of pot are frequently reported and repeated without criticism. But these new studies cast serious doubts on three of the more prominent marijuana myths. Cannabis dispensaries aren't crime magnets Claims that marijuana retailers attract crime are...

In a paper published by The Economic Journal last month, a study by the Norwegian School of Economics in partnership with the Pennsylvania State University Department of Sociology and Criminology, found that marijuana legalization has led to a decrease in violent crime in U.S. states that border...

Witnessing the incredible output of Colombian drug makers is a highlight of the Netflix series Narcos. It boggles the mind trying to fathom how much cocaine Pablo Escobar and rival crews carried across American borders. And when it comes to drugs America has long provided a captive and willing...

In May, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, under the instructions of President Trump, re-declared the war on drugs. The administration reinstated mandatory minimum sentencing, which means everyone involved in federal drug offenses are charged with the most serious crimes possible. That rolled back...

Shops Which Sell legalized marijuana lead to no more crime in surrounding areas than those areas with bars or alcohol stores, a new study has found. Researchers at Ohio State University found that crime isn’t higher in the area immediately surrounding marijuana outlets. But adjacent areas saw...

After Florida voters approved use of marijuana for prescribed medical purposes last November, Sarasota joined several other cities in passing a moratorium on new dispensaries. State lawmakers are hammering out the state rules and regulations for the medical marijuana industry, but most likely...

Did a powerful Republican in the Virginia General Assembly open the door - just a crack - to decriminalization of marijuana in the Old Dominion? Let's go to the tape - or, in this case, the Virginian-Pilot, which quoted state Sen. Thomas K. Norment Jr. appearing at a meeting on Tuesday with...

Washington - In just a few short weeks, voters in five states will consider legalizing recreational marijuana. Although, no matter which way the vote goes, a new study from the Libertarian-leaning Cato Institute says the impact of legalization does not affect crime or economics. The war of...

Vancouver — Any fears legalizing marijuana will fuel organized crime may be overblown according to research from an SFU criminologist. Only five percent of the 500 random cases from an eight year period involved anyone with ties to organized crime. That means the vast majority of growers...

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said on a local radio show over the weekend that marijuana is responsible for the "vast majority" of New York City's violence, adding that it makes him "scratch his head" as to why states want to legalize marijuana. "Interestingly enough here in New York City...

After 16 months of a criminal and family court battle, an Ottawa County Circuit Court Judge dismissed the felony charges against a Spring Lake father and card-carrying medical marijuana patient for having "synthetic THC." Friday Max Lorincz was in court for multiple hearings regarding his...