Want More Crime in Your City? Close Your Local Medical Marijuana Dispensary, Says Study

Medicinal (and, ahem, recreational) marijuana aims to soothe, ease, and relax users; take away said users' pot and be prepared to face the consequences.




A report released Tuesday by the RAND Corp., a Santa Monica-based think tank, revealed that after hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries were forced to close in Los Angeles last year, crime rates rose significantly in nearby neighborhoods.

Law enforcement agencies have long been after these dispensaries, arguing that the large amounts of cash are a magnet for thieves, who often go on to resell marijuana. Yet, after what investigators are calling “the most rigorous independent examination of its kind” of LA dispensaries, it appears that the city might need to rethink their position.  Read More

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