Since cannabis has been legalized for adult use, critics have tried to tie it to every negative societal change in Colorado.  Forget that fact that nearly 2 million new people have moved to the state. Everything is the fault of cannabis.  

Some law enforcement agencies have jumped on the bandwagon, alleging repeatedly that legalization is luring dangerous drug cartels to the state. Turns out, according to one of the newspapers that has been fanning the flames of much of that misinformation, there is no data or court cases to prove any of those assertions.

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At the same time, a new report throws cold water on claims that the legalization of pot has led to a rise in crime. Researchers at Washington State University say their review of FBI data for Washington and Colorado shows “no negative effects of legalization and, instead, indicate(s) that crime clearance rates for at least some types of crime are increasing faster in states that legalized than in those that did not.” 

In other words, the researchers say, their findings seem to support the argument that marijuana legalization frees up police resources to focus on more serious crimes.