Crime Down In States With Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

[Jim Finnel]

There’s a lot of concern from citizens far removed from the medical marijuana movement regarding crime associated with new changes in the law. After over 70 years of misinformation and propaganda it’s no wonder confusion is so rampant.

With the exception of a few dispensaries being robbed, there have been no noticeable increases in crime near dispensaries. The simple fact that dispensaries have existed for such a short period in history also makes it very difficult to associate any increase in crime with dispensaries.

Additionally, sources like CNN have released stories this year about the possibility of an increase in crime in large cities being associated with the economy. How can one differentiate any increase in crime when factors like the economy exist. For this same reason is is impossible to say that dispensaries actually decrease crime either.

The theory that dispensaries cause crime leaves to question all the areas in the country with an increase in crime, but without any medical marijuana dispensaries. Unless a dispensary is directly involved in some sort of criminal activity it is impossible to say if crime increased in any area solely due to the dispensary. If crime were on an upward swing this would all matter, but crime is actually down and mostly so in the region of the United States where dispensaries exist.

Let’s take the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report. According to the data, the western area of the United States saw the greatest decrease in murders, and came in second to the mid-west in greatest decrease in violent crimes, aggravated assaults, and larceny.

Given the fact that the majority of the western states (CA, OR, WA, MT, NV, NM, and CO) in the country have legalized medical marijuana, it seems if legalizing medical marijuana causes crime there would be an increase in these crimes, not a decrease. More importantly, this area shouldn’t be the part of the country with the greatest decline if medical marijuana causes crime.

Since California has had legalized medical marijuana the longest, the data for this state was run through the Angela Macdonald number cruncher. Here are the shifts in some of the larger cities in California from 2007 to 2008:

Anaheim
Violent Crime: (-7.8%) Robbery: (-1.38%) Aggravated Assault: (-11.52%)
Property Crime: (-5.31%) Burglary: (-12.21%) Larceny: (-1.09%) Vehicle Theft: (-14.26%)

Bakersfield
Violent Crime: (5.92%) Robbery: (12.56%) Aggravated Assault: (1.57%)
Property Crime: (.64%) Burglary: (17.84%) Larceny: (-3.83%) Vehicle Theft: (-5.7%)

Chula Vista
Violent Crime: (-9.66%) Robbery: (-18.94%) Aggravated Assault: (-2.17%)
Property Crime: (-10.51%) Burglary: (-7.78%) Larceny: (-11.9%) Vehicle Theft: (-9.56%)

Fremont
Violent Crime: (-5.12%) Robbery: (0%) Aggravated Assault: (-8.98%)
Property Crime: (-5.41%) Burglary: (-15.09%) Larceny: (-0.29%) Vehicle Theft: (-9.83%)

Fresno
Violent Crime: (-8.58%) Robbery: (-10.87%) Aggravated Assault: (-6.15%)
Property Crime: (5.18%) Burglary: (7.08%) Larceny: (8.10%) Vehicle Theft: (-6.11%)

Irvine
Violent Crime: (-9.79%) Robbery: (22.73%) Aggravated Assault: (-26.32%)
Property Crime: (-1.38%) Burglary: (-29.04%) Larceny: (6.32%) Vehicle Theft: (-5.58%)

Long Beach
Violent Crime: (-7.82%) Robbery: (-1.26%) Aggravated Assault: (-13.16%)
Property Crime: (0.09%) Burglary: (6.02%) Larceny: (-2.43%) Vehicle Theft: (0.42%)

Los Angeles
Violent Crime: (-4.51%) Robbery: (-0.44%) Aggravated Assault: (-8.73%)
Property Crime: (-0.63%) Burglary: (0.49%) Larceny: (0.29%) Vehicle Theft: (-3.83%)

Modesto
Violent Crime: (-3.42%) Robbery: (-5.09%) Aggravated Assault: (-3.64%)
Property Crime: (-9.61%) Burglary: (7.99%) Larceny: (-10.65%) Vehicle Theft: (-25.31%)

Oakland
Violent Crime: (3.94%) Robbery: (-4.24%) Aggravated Assault: (11.11%)
Property Crime: (-9.2%) Burglary: (-5.36%) Larceny: (-0.44%) Vehicle Theft: (-18.89%)

Riverside
Violent Crime: (1.53%) Robbery: (5.83%) Aggravated Assault: (-3.26%)
Property Crime: (-0.85%) Burglary: (-0.85%) Larceny: (2.1%) Vehicle Theft: (-12.19%)

Sacramento
Violent Crime: (-9.13%) Robbery: (-12.34%) Aggravated Assault: (-6.91%)
Property Crime: (-7.79%) Burglary: (-3.8%) Larceny: (-4.12%) Vehicle Theft: (-19.15%)

San Bernardino
Violent Crime: (-3.53%) Robbery: (-9.63%) Aggravated Assault: (2.48%)
Property Crime: (-6.46%) Burglary: (4.04%) Larceny: (-5.32%) Vehicle Theft: (-17.4%)

San Diego
Violent Crime: (-4.5%) Robbery: (-3.63%) Aggravated Assault: (-7.34%)
Property Crime: (-8.61%) Burglary: (0.83%) Larceny: (-5.67%) Vehicle Theft: (-19.26%)

San Jose
Violent Crime: (-3.09%) Robbery: (5.24%) Aggravated Assault: (-7.09%)
Property Crime: (-7.33%) Burglary: (-22.30%) Larceny: (3.12%) Vehicle Theft: (-18.46%)

Santa Ana
Violent Crime: (-11.35%) Robbery: (8.09%) Aggravated Assault: (-27.04%)
Property Crime: (-10.48%) Burglary: (8.29%) Larceny: (-7.17%) Vehicle Theft: (-26.9%)

Stockton
Violent Crime: (2.51%) Robbery: (-3.53%) Aggravated Assault: (6.53%)
Property Crime: (-3.87%) Burglary: (7.38%) Larceny: (-5.78%) Vehicle Theft: (-11.97%)

With the exception of the occasional dispensary robbery, there is no evidence to show an increase in crime with direct connection to medical marijuana dispensaries. Even with these robberies in mind, it stands to question why any place is robbed.

After analyzing the numbers, it seems strange that anyone would try to say medical marijuana causes any crime. If anything, the data shows quite the opposite.

Logic determines that when a crime is no longer a crime there will be less criminals. What does it say when the primary reason produced by most of the counties, cities, and towns to support banning dispensaries is completely unfounded? What will the next excuse be?


News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Examiner.com
Author: Angela Macdonald
Copyright: 2009 Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Crime down in states with medical marijuana dispensaries

 

[Jim Finnel]

i found this while searching for news this morning. i wouldn't normally post it because its filled with lies and propaganda. but it made me think of the preceding article. i think its appropriate in the context of this thread. it comes from a law enforcement website and this is what enforcement in cali are saying and being taught about medical marijuana.

a little pop quiz for you members, find a lie and refute it:


Source: Officer.com
Author: Rebecca Kanable
Copyright: 2009 Cygnus Business Media
Contact: Officer.com: Contacting Officer.com
Website: Turning Over A New Leaf
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking


Turning Over A New Leaf
By Rebecca Kanable


Planning for the inaugural "Summit on the Impact of California's Medical Marijuana Laws," organizers worried no one would show up. But when the summit took place this spring, there were more than 400 attendees. The law enforcement-only event was sponsored by the California Department of Justice, the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA), the California Peace Officers' Association and the California State Sheriffs' Association.

California, the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, continues to learn from its experiences. With a dozen other states following their lead and passing medical marijuana laws, and more states looking to do the same, eyes remain focused on The Golden State.

El Cerrito Chief Scott Kirkland, who helped organize the summit and found CPCA's Medical Marijuana Dispensary Task Force, says law enforcement must acknowledge that marijuana decriminalization is a growing issue nationwide. Kirkland says there are issues law enforcement must take a stand on, and one of them is marijuana, which, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center National Drug Threat Assessment 2009, is abused more than any other drug.

"California is a great example of what not to do," says Kirkland, a member of CPCA's board of directors and a veteran of El Cerrito law enforcement since 1979.

As a police chief, he accepts some of the blame. "We've done a poor job getting the word out about the dangers associated with marijuana use," he explains.

Today's marijuana

Politicians are suggesting decriminalization should be up for debate, but often they have little knowledge of the topic, says Kirkland. Today's politicians, along with others in positions of responsibility, may have smoked marijuana in the '60s and '70s and "never inhaled" — or inhaled, because "that was the point."

Either way, many of them think today's marijuana is the same relatively harmless drug they tried in high school or college, Kirkland says, but it's not. In May, the Office of National Drug Control Policy released analysis from the University of Mississippi, which revealed THC — the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana — reached the highest levels since the drug was first analyzed. According to the analysis, the average amount of THC in samples confiscated by law enforcement agencies in 2008 was 10.1 percent, compared to less than 4 percent in 1983. The highest concentration of THC in a single sample was 27.3 percent. The Potency Monitoring Project has analyzed seized samples since 1976 and is funded by the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA).

According to NIDA, heavy marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form memories, recall events and shift attention. THC also disrupts coordination. Through its effects on the brain and body, marijuana intoxication can cause accidents. Studies have shown that about 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. In many of these cases, alcohol also is detected.

And, since June 19, marijuana smoke is listed under Proposition 65 as known to cause cancer.

California's story

Advocates of decriminalizing marijuana have portrayed people in wheelchairs needing marijuana to relieve chronic pain from cancer, glaucoma and AIDS.

"I don't believe there's a police chief anywhere who wouldn't be sympathetic to people who have pain because of a disease," Kirkland says, but he adds research from the task force shows that patients with cancer, glaucoma and AIDS make up only about 2 percent of the people getting prescriptions filled at local marijuana dispensaries.

More likely, task force data presented at the summit show patients are going to the dispensaries because they have a prescription to help them with muscle spasms, insomnia, back pain, post-surgical pain or headaches.

While some sales are legal, some are not. An Internet post describes, "I got my prescription about a week ago, and it was the easiest thing I've ever done."

A physician's statement raises the question how much marijuana is enough.

The note says, "This patient uses marijuana topically, which greatly increases his need. It is recommended that this patient be allowed to have up to 75 marijuana plants growing and up to 5 pounds of dry marijuana."

The task force also referenced a 2008 Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury report on medical marijuana dispensaries which concluded some facilities are largely unregulated:
Few restrictions exist to prevent patients from purchasing large amounts of marijuana in several shops.
Inventory and sales records are not accurately maintained.
The average cost for an ounce is $350 to $600. Dispensary owners reported the average amount sold at one time is 1/8 of an ounce, which could last a day or a month, depending on patient use.

At the summit, El Cerrito Commander Michael Regan outlined more problems: He states there is currently no process to obtain a dispensary license, nor is there an approval or licensing entity. Additionally, he notes very few, if any, restrictions exist.

For that reason, it's difficult to know how many dispensaries there are in California; One common estimate is 600. Crime related to dispensaries is often not reported, Regan says. Likely, the industry fears prosecution or doesn't want a bad name, he says. If crimes are reported, they may not be recorded as "dispensary-related," and he says some cities and agencies just do not want to discuss the issue.

Sharing data with the task force, the Los Angeles Police Department reported that while most other areas of Los Angeles experienced reductions in Part I crime, areas near marijuana dispensaries experienced a 200-percent increase in robberies, a 52-percent increase in burglaries, and a 57-percent increase in aggravated assaults.

With large amounts of marijuana and cash on hand, dispensaries and their customers are targets for crime.

Starting the fight

Unfortunately, law enforcement isn't always asked to weigh-in on a debate like decriminalization, even when public safety is directly impacted. When the El Cerrito City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance to allow medical marijuana dispensaries, Kirkland says no one asked him how the ordinance would affect public safety. But after sitting speechless during one council meeting, he decided he had to do something. At the next council meeting, he and Regan made a presentation on the secondary effects of marijuana. As a result of this report, the council on July 16, 2006, passed an ordinance banning marijuana dispensaries in the city of about 24,000 people.

And, Kirkland and Regan haven't stopped telling others about the dangers of marijuana. After he and Regan made a presentation to the CPCA, a medical marijuana dispensary task force was formed by the CPCA, California State Sheriffs' Association, narcotics officers' and district attorneys' associations, and the California Highway Patrol. The task force was formed to address state versus federal law enforcement issues as well as crime and quality of life issues.

Kirkland is often asked by news media if the war on drugs has been lost.

His response is: "No, I do not believe we have lost the war, I believe we have started the fight."

Creating a network

Advocates of drug decriminalization are often well-funded, and they understand marketing and politics. Police chiefs, sheriffs and others in law enforcement can be leaders, but they need help, Kirkland says.

Educating Voices Inc., a non-profit national organization founded to help people avoid the dangers of drugs, has been a resource for the task force. EVI President Judy Kreamer agrees building a network is crucial. She says that's one of the reasons Illinois has been successful at opposing medical marijuana — EVI has worked closely with law enforcement and others.

"Law enforcement is known for leading, for being concerned for the welfare of others," Kreamer says. "I think law enforcement needs to market that more."

Law enforcement shouldn't have to be responsible for drug prevention, she says, but often no one else is taking the responsibility and telling the stories of what drugs do in real life.

"It's all about educating, but you have to have a nucleus, and that nucleus has to reach out and bring other groups on board," she says. For the first time this year a medical marijuana measure passed in the Illinois State Senate, but it hasn't gone through the House.

"We never know if we're going to win or not," Kreamer says. "That's why we keep reaching out and building a stronger network." As one man who went first to his city council, then to his state police chiefs association and others in the state and nationwide, Kirkland feels law enforcement is gaining momentum.

"The more people we can get involved, the louder our voices will be heard," he says.

In this instance, California is a good example.

Rebecca Kanable is a freelance writer specializing in law enforcement topics. She can be reached at kanable@charter.net.

State labs say no to marijuana backlog

As a rule, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) crime labs do not accept misdemeanor marijuana drug submissions, while the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services (BFS) labs go a step further and do not accept marijuana evidence for processing.

Both state agencies train officers to be Field Investigation Drug Officers (FIDO), through a National Forensic Science Technology Center program. In Florida, officers are trained to identify marijuana and other drugs. They do presumptive tests to identify the drug and testify in preliminary hearings. Utah officers do the same with methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, but for marijuana, officers are trained as marijuana leaf identification technicians, subject matter experts who process evidence and testify in court.

After providing additional training to the agencies they serve and making changes to their evidence submission guidelines, both state agencies have been pleased with the results they've seen.

FDLE and Utah BFS have no drug chemistry backlog. In 2006, FDLE received an average of 3,969 incoming drug chemistry cases per month; this year the cases have averaged 2,570 per month, which is about a 35-percent reduction in incoming cases.

Turnaround time (the time it takes to process the evidence) as of April 30, 2006, averaged 69 days. Since April 30 this year, the average turnaround time for a drug chemistry case is 14 days — an 80-percent reduction in the average turnaround time for a drug chemistry case.

When FDLE had been working misdemeanor marijuana drug submissions, they accounted for a large percentage of its drug chemistry analysis. "We looked at how many of them ever went to trial, or led to someone being incarcerated," says Assistant Commissioner Ken Tucker. After reviewing that data, FDLE decided not to accept items for misdemeanor marijuana cases, though there can be exceptions if agencies explain why an exception is needed. The policy change was made in February 2007.

Since fewer resources are needed in drug chemistry, when vacancies occur the open positions are reprogrammed into firearms and DNA analysis, he says because they have more of a nexus to violent crime. Utah's additional goal was to free up forensic scientists for other types of analysis as a result of adding the Marijuana Leaf Identification Technician program in 2003 and the FIDO program in 2006.

Looking at FIDO and the marijuana identification programs from 2003 to 2008 Utah BFS Crime Lab, Director Jay Henry estimates the lab has achieved a 56 percent reduction in cases and a 44 percent reduction in submitted samples.

With local agencies processing their own cases, turnaround time has plummeted at the state level. Henry says a drug case is routinely returned in fewer than 14 days. One state lab routinely averages two or three days.

Utah currently has 105 certified marijuana leaf identification technicians; many of the students are evidence technicians; some are patrol officers, detectives or highway patrol officers. Once a year, officers must pass a recertification course. The Marijuana Leaf Identification Technician program is modeled after Washington State Patrol and Weber State University training programs.

"Technicians have to do what we do in the lab," BFS forensic chemist Justin Bechaver says, and that includes making their own reagents for the marijuana chemical presumptive tests. In most cases, Bechaver says a bag of marijuana can be easily identifiable through use of a microscopic and chemical confirmatory test. But a BFS lab will perform analysis for THC in charred residues and paraphernalia, where no botanical features of marijuana are visually present, which is a requirement for a microscope test.

Agencies can set up an area specifically for marijuana analysis in just a corner of a room but the area needs to be well-ventilated, he says.

Equipment start-up costs, which include a microscope, are estimated at $1,200. Annual costs are less than $50, depending on the number of samples analyzed.

Other states looking to have a similar program should make sure statutes permit marijuana identification with a macroscopic, microscopic and chemical confirmatory test, Henry emphasizes. If a state requires the identification of THC, a GC/MS needs to be used by the crime lab, he says.

"If you train officers correctly, make sure they are proficient and know their limitations, and keep them accountable through recertification and ongoing proficiency testing, they will do a good job for you," Henry says. "You can't just train them and let them go."

It takes work to provide training, Bechaver adds, but the rewards outweigh the work.

 

[The Holy Mackerel]

Is this honestly a surprise? Do the vastly dense idiots out there who still view pot as a "drug" still think that Reefer Madness was an accurate depiction? Let me lay a visual out for you:

I finally got to go to Amsterdam last year, and that is how shit is DONE. There are no cops kicking in doors (or even searching people for that matter, since it's illegal) to bust some 65 year old that need pressure alleviated from their eyes. No teenagers having their home lives ruined because the teacher caught them smoking in the parking lot. It's just there, available, and never given a thought.

Of course, the coffee shops were given PLENTY of thought (and strict attention) by me. Especially thinking back to my hometown, where bars spill out and poeple start kicking each other's teeth in. In Holland, I saw no fights. No, granted I saw some weird, wild shit that you will NEVER see anywhere else, but it's clean, friendly, and most importantly safe. Amsterdam has possibly the lowest crime rate of any major city in the world, and you don't need to be a fucking rocket scientist to guess why that is. This city is ten times as fun as Las Vegas and as safe as Singapore. It should lead by example.

 

[Gemini61782]

According to NIDA, heavy marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form memories, recall events and shift attention. THC also disrupts coordination. Through its effects on the brain and body, marijuana intoxication can cause accidents. Studies have shown that about 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. In many of these cases, alcohol also is detected.
Okay, I got to about here and this just screams "we don't want you to know the numbers".?Studies have shown that about 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. In many of these cases, alcohol also is detected.?
How many cases??? All of 'em is what I think, and the ones that didn't have alcohol had other REAL "drugs". So why the smokescreen about it? Tell the TRUTH, for your children sake if nothing else...