Police Officer Motivation to Enforce Remaining Marijuana Prohibitions

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Abstract

Does marijuana legalization in some states decrease the motivation of police officers to enforce remaining marijuana prohibitions in states yet to legalize? Prior research has indicated that officers most aggressively police violations they perceive as being most severe. The legalization of marijuana in many states raises the possibility that officers in states that have not legalized the substance will interpret legalization as a sign that marijuana violations are of only minor severity, and in turn feel less motivated to continue enforcing remaining marijuana prohibitions. This hypothesis is tested using a nationwide survey of American state and local police officers and results are reported.

Authors

• Nick Van De Voorde, Louisiana State University

• Jose Torres, Louisiana State University