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California Marijuana Decriminalization Drops Youth Crime Rate To Record Low
Between 2010 and 2011, California experienced a drastic 20 percent decrease in juvenile crime--bringing the underage crime rate to the lowest level since the state started keeping records in 1954.
According to a recently released study, much of that improvement can be credited to the decriminalization of marijuana.
The study, entitled "California Youth Crime Plunges to All-Time Low" and released by the San Francisco-based Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, looked at the number of people under the age of 18 who were arrested in the state over the past eight decades. The research not only found juvenile crime to be at its lowest level ever but, in the wake of then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signing a bill reducing the punishment for possessing a small amount of marijuana from a misdemeanor to simply an infraction, the drop in rates was particularity significant.
In that one-year period, the number of arrests for violent crimes dropped by 16 percent, homicide went down by 26 percent and drug arrests decreased by nearly 50 percent.
The category of drug arrests showed decreases in every type of crime; however, the vast majority of the drop resulted from far fewer arrests for marijuana possession. In 2010, marijuana possession accounted for 64 percent of all drug arrests, and in 2011, that number decreased to only 46 percent.
California's drop in serious youth crime has decreased faster than in the rest of the nation.
According to a recently released study, much of that improvement can be credited to the decriminalization of marijuana.
The study, entitled "California Youth Crime Plunges to All-Time Low" and released by the San Francisco-based Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, looked at the number of people under the age of 18 who were arrested in the state over the past eight decades. The research not only found juvenile crime to be at its lowest level ever but, in the wake of then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signing a bill reducing the punishment for possessing a small amount of marijuana from a misdemeanor to simply an infraction, the drop in rates was particularity significant.
In that one-year period, the number of arrests for violent crimes dropped by 16 percent, homicide went down by 26 percent and drug arrests decreased by nearly 50 percent.
The category of drug arrests showed decreases in every type of crime; however, the vast majority of the drop resulted from far fewer arrests for marijuana possession. In 2010, marijuana possession accounted for 64 percent of all drug arrests, and in 2011, that number decreased to only 46 percent.
California's drop in serious youth crime has decreased faster than in the rest of the nation.
Probably if people didn't so readily say it is just fine and hey, my kids are already exposed to things that are bad for them I'd be less fearful. It is the cavalier attitude that scares me the most. Adgal makes points that I can listen to because she fears the same things I do. I can't relate to someone just wanting to make marijauna legal for their own consumption and seeing it as no big deal.
I'll bow out of this conversation. I don't want to appear judgemental but don't relate to casual drug use nor do I care to. Nor do i want my kids to live in a world where someone says having a hamburger is equal to smoking pot.
And by the way, if it ever does become legal, I hope the same thing happens to it as what's happened to smoking tobacco. It is socially unacceptable in most settings and looked down upon. My aunt is a smoker and says she often feels like a second class citizen because she is a smoker. I don't like that she feels that way but it is a deterrent to her smoking. She now smokes only occasionally and in private which cuts down on the overall amount she smokes (which is a good thing for her health). Right now, it's cool to say legalize pot. My hope is that pot will become very uncool if it is ever legalized.
Clearly, I'm against smoking pot for recreational use. But again, in the minority here on this forum. I just hope my peers who feel like I do show up to vote if it ever comes to that in my state.
I'll bow out of this conversation. I don't want to appear judgemental but don't relate to casual drug use nor do I care to. Nor do i want my kids to live in a world where someone says having a hamburger is equal to smoking pot.
And by the way, if it ever does become legal, I hope the same thing happens to it as what's happened to smoking tobacco. It is socially unacceptable in most settings and looked down upon. My aunt is a smoker and says she often feels like a second class citizen because she is a smoker. I don't like that she feels that way but it is a deterrent to her smoking. She now smokes only occasionally and in private which cuts down on the overall amount she smokes (which is a good thing for her health). Right now, it's cool to say legalize pot. My hope is that pot will become very uncool if it is ever legalized.
Clearly, I'm against smoking pot for recreational use. But again, in the minority here on this forum. I just hope my peers who feel like I do show up to vote if it ever comes to that in my state.
Very good points, OH.
In complete agreement.
In complete agreement.
You already walk into convenience stores and your kids see people buying cigarettes and booze~ both which do more harm to people than cannabis.
Nobody's died from an overdose of pot or landed up with an emergency liver transplant which has happened with tylenol.
Sure it can be harmful, so can be hamburgers, sodas, candy and anything else if you abuse it.
Where I live it is essentially legal. I do walk down the street and smell it sometimes and you know what? I often look around and wonder who was smoking it because I simply can't tell from their actions ! People walking down the street~ oh, maybe it's that one with a big smile on their face?
Just as nobody should drive after a beer or two, nobody should drive if impaired by anything including pot.
Lets stop wasting money trying to prohibit something that so many people already use.
Legalize it, and of course have restrictions for underage use.
Nobody's died from an overdose of pot or landed up with an emergency liver transplant which has happened with tylenol.
Sure it can be harmful, so can be hamburgers, sodas, candy and anything else if you abuse it.
Where I live it is essentially legal. I do walk down the street and smell it sometimes and you know what? I often look around and wonder who was smoking it because I simply can't tell from their actions ! People walking down the street~ oh, maybe it's that one with a big smile on their face?
Just as nobody should drive after a beer or two, nobody should drive if impaired by anything including pot.
Lets stop wasting money trying to prohibit something that so many people already use.
Legalize it, and of course have restrictions for underage use.
I am not about making it easier to access at all. I too do not want my child using it. I will be honest with you - my first trip to the US as an adult, I was completey shocked that you can buy alcohol in convenience stores and even gas stations. Here, it is only available in liquor stores, period. And you have to be of age, or accompanied by your parent to even go into the store, let alone purchase it. I would still view marijuana as a controlled substance, and think it should remain that way. However, I don't think jail time is the answer. I do think we should go hard after dealers, and if you are caught attempting to sell to a child, the sentence should be even tougher. For adults, if they are caught with just personal amounts, no big deal as far as I am concerned. Education for me is still the key - much like what they are doing with cigarette smoking and drinking and driving. And just as we all work to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, so should it be with marijuana. Same thing with driving under the influence. I just don't think the laws are doing anything about prevention, and that for me is where the answers lie. It's a tough one for sure.
Say what you want about the legalization of marijuana. Tobacco and alcohol are still illegal for kids to possess and they have little problem getting those. Heroin, cocaine, meth are still illegal and anyone who wants to can get some of those substances with little effort, depending where you are. (It can be found in the prisons which are supposed to be the most stringent atmospheres out there.) Where there's a will, there's a way.
It is what it is....
It is what it is....
"Using hemp for various uses such as paper or clothing to me is different than smoking it"
I agree, however to add to the above post
Were the Presidents Hemp Smokers?
Dr. Burke, who is a president of the American Historical Reference Society, has noted seven of the earliest presidents as hemp smokers: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce. According to Dr. Burke, “Early letters from our founding fathers refer to the pleasures of hemp smoking,”
I know you are a strong opponent of the legalization of MJ and I truly admire your standing by what you believe in, it is a great quality and I wouldn't expect anything less from you :)
I agree, however to add to the above post
Were the Presidents Hemp Smokers?
Dr. Burke, who is a president of the American Historical Reference Society, has noted seven of the earliest presidents as hemp smokers: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce. According to Dr. Burke, “Early letters from our founding fathers refer to the pleasures of hemp smoking,”
I know you are a strong opponent of the legalization of MJ and I truly admire your standing by what you believe in, it is a great quality and I wouldn't expect anything less from you :)
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