Did Marijuana Legalization Increased Crime Rate in Colorado?

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The political action committee (CALM) Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana has published a letter on 18^th October 2016 from Denver District Attorney Mitchell Morrissey. The latter claimed that the drug has boosted crimes around Colorado. The letter stressed that voters from California should reject state Proposition 64 on 8^th November 2016, due to state has legalized recreational marijuana for over 21-years old adults. Morrissey explained by pointing out the statistics taken from a report published in September 2016 by (HIDTA) Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Traffic Area. It has been considered the part of a Federal coordinating program among Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement agencies. Morrissey indicate in his letter in the light of HIDTA report that after recreational marijuana use was legalized in 2013 in Colorado, traffic related deaths due to the use of marijuana increased by 48 percent.

He added that emergency room visits due to marijuana also increased by 48 percent. The report indicated that 105 out of 871 motor accidents of massive crashes were reported in 2015 and found positive in test result of marijuana. Another test showed positive at 30 percent for both marijuana and alcohol. The letter of Morrissey also mentioned stats taken from Statewide Crime Bureau of Investigation, Colorado report 2015. The report indicated that homicides increased by 14.7 percent in 2015 in the state as compared to the stats of 2014, but CBI didn’t mention any drug involvement. The District Attorney also indicated that homicide rate in Pueblo State was recorded high at 11 killings/ 100 thousand residents allegedly linked to marijuana legalization. The letter also indicated that homicide rate was more than doubled in Aurora between 2014 and 2015 and 23 killings were recorded in 2015 due to marijuana legalization.