Community

  • Annual crime rates were declining in Colorado until 2012 when the trend began to reverse and steadily climb in 2013, including homicide (+7.4%), rape (+41.3%), other assaults (+3.6%), larceny (+2.3%) and auto theft (+3.8%).1
  • According to the Denver District Attorney, Mitch Morrissey, crime in Denver has increased by 41% in 2015 including burglaries, aggravated assault, vehicle thefts, and homicide is at a 10-year high. 2
  • Less than one-tenth of one percent of prisoners are incarcerated for marijuana possession with no prior convictions.3
  • Only 6% of state prisoners are incarcerated for drug possession.3
  • 8% of federal prisoners that were sentenced for drug offences were for drug trafficking, not drug possession. 3
  • Fatal car crashes that involved marijuana tripled in the last ten years. 4
  • Drugged driving puts everyone at risk: the driver, the passengers and those sharing the road. 5
  • In 2005, a study showed that 45% of motorist pulled over for reckless driving (who were not impaired by alcohol) tested positive for marijuana.6
  • The black market for marijuana has not disappeared in Colorado as anticipated. Marijuana is still sold on the streets because users don’t want to pay taxes.7 & 8
  • You may think potential marijuana proceeds will fund schools, but they likely won’t. In Colorado, NO new schools have been built with marijuana tax proceeds.9
  1. Colorado Bureau of Investigation. 2016.
  2. Oregon Drug Summit. 2016.
  3. Office of National Drug Control Policy. 2016.
  4. Brady, Joanne E. and Li, Guohua. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2014.
  5. Drug Enforcement Administration. 2014.
  6. Office of National Drug Control Policy. 2016.
  7. Baca, R. The Cannabist. 2014
  8. Gurman, S. Associated Press. 2014.
  9. Barro, Josh. The New York Times. 2015.