DOI: 10.3886/icpsr37661
title: Effects of Marijuana Legalization on Law Enforcement and Crime, Washington, 2004-2018
title: Archival Version

description: This study sought to examine the effects of cannabis legalization on crime and law enforcement in Washington State. In 2012 citizens voted to legalize possession of small amounts of cannabis, with the first licensed retail outlets opening on July 1, 2014. Researchers crafted their analysis around two questions. First, how are law enforcement agencies handling crime and offenders, particularly involving marijuana, before and after legalization? Second, what are the effects of marijuana legalization on crime, crime clearance, and other policing activities statewide, as well as in urban, rural, tribal, and border areas? Research participants and crime data were collected from 14 police organizations across Washington, as well as Idaho police organizations situated by the Washington-Idaho border where marijuana possession is illegal. Additional subjects were recruited from other police agencies across Washington, prosecutors, and officials from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators for focus groups and individual interviews. Variables included dates of calls for service from 2004 through 2018, circumstances surrounding calls for service, geographic beats, agency, whether calls were dispatch or officer initiated, and whether the agency was in a jurisdiction with legal cannabis.
description: This study sought to examine the effects of cannabis legalization, via Initiative 502 (I-502), on crime and law enforcement in Washington State. Researchers crafted their analysis around two questions. First, how are law enforcement agencies handling crime and offenders, particularly involving marijuana, before and after legalization? Second, what are the effects of marijuana legalization on crime, crime clearance, and other policing activities statewide, as well as in urban, rural, tribal, and border areas? The study was funded by the National Institute of Justice to address various gaps in our knowledge of how state and local law enforcement agencies would have to adjust their practices in the face of drug legalization. Likewise, researchers intended for their work to document Washington State's I-502 in order to benefit other states and countries who have already legalized marijuana, or are considering legalization. Analysts also sought to examine potential "spillover effects", from legal marijuana states, into states with marijuana prohibition.
description: Researchers recruited a large swath of criminal justice actors. Fourteen law enforcement agencies in urban, suburban, rural and tribal settings in Washington and Idaho were selected for case studies, along with law enforcement officers from 25 additional agencies. Also, 153 justice system officials, which included regional drug task force and gang task force officers, prosecutorial officials, enforcement agents from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, officers from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, and instructors from the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators participated in focus groups and individual interviews. Case study profiles were created by combining qualitative (focus groups, interviews) and quantitative (Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), calls for service, body and dash camera footage) data. Law enforcement agencies provided data from either 2016 or 2017, this included the data sources listed here, as well as demographic data. Interviewees were recruited by identifying an agency liaison at each participating agency, who provided opt-in instructions, including consent forms, for interested people. Once interviewees expressed interest, they were able to contact researchers directly. Interview and focus group questions were developed utilizing appreciative inquiry, with the goal of capturing law enforcement's experiences pre- and post- legalization, with the hope of informing future drug law reforms. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed. Then transcripts were analyzed for themes by researchers and NVivo software, divided into positive and negative sentiments regarding marijuana legalization, and further divided into themes within that. UCR data on crime rates, clearance rates, and arrests were compiled from 1999 to 2016. Calls for service data were collected from the 14 Washington and Idaho law enforcement agencies mentioned above. This data is typically generated either through police-initiated contact, or 911 emergency calls and non-emergency calls initiated by citizens. Body and dash camera footage allowed for researchers to document the context of police-citizen encounters. Incident characteristics, civilian characteristics and behaviors, and officer behaviors were captured and coded. Descriptive statistics and regression modeling were used to analyze the quantitative data. The regression modeling centered around multi-group interrupted time series analysis, which attempts to measure changes in trends over time, and whether or not those changes are the result of an intervention.
description: Not applicable
description: Response Rates: Not applicable
description: Presence of Common Scales: none
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Large Agencies DS2: Small Agencies
description: Law enforcement agencies in Washington State and Idaho between 2004 and 2018. Smallest Geographic Unit: State
description: record abstracts; coded video observation; face-to-face interviewThis study collection only includes the quantitative data. The qualitative data may possibly be released at a later date as its own collection.