Does the Association Between Marijuana and Criminal Behavior Differ by Type of Marijuana Product?

• In Event: Drugs, Drug Markets, and Crime: Attempting to Unpack the Drug-Crime Relationship

Abstract

Criminological research has extensively examined the relationship between marijuana use and crime, and studies suggest that marijuana users are more involved in crime than non-marijuana users. However, marijuana policies have recently shifted, making marijuana legally accessible in most states. Marijuana legalization has led to the opening of marijuana dispensaries where individuals can purchase a wide variety of different marijuana products. Unfortunately, most studies assessing the relationship between marijuana and crime, only examined marijuana smoking or any type of marijuana use. As marijuana users can now choose from a variety of marijuana products, it is important to investigate whether the relationship between marijuana use and crime generalizes to all forms of marijuana use or whether certain forms of marijuana use are more criminogenic than others. The current study uses data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to investigate the association between the use of various marijuana products and several types of crime. Results suggest that different types of marijuana products have differential associations with the crimes investigated. The findings of the current study indicate that not all forms of marijuana use are associated with crime, and thus the impact of marijuana use varies by the forms used.

Authors

• Kelsi Moscrop-Blake, Sam Houston State University

• Wanda Leal, Sam Houston State University