A recent study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs shows that neighborhoods in Sacramento, California with medical marijuana dispensaries didn’t have higher crime rates than neighborhoods without them.

The study took place in California’s capital in 2009 and covered 95 neighborhoods. The study authors said more research needs to be done for longer periods of time, and obviously this only goes for Sacramento, but common sense will tell you that crime is not going to happen solely because marijuana is involved, as legalization opponents who like you to believe.

The fact is many factors go into a neighborhood’s crime rate, including economics, police presence and the level of security at businesses with valuables, including dispensaries.

Any business with cash on hand or something else that would get a good price on the black market is a target for robbery and violence. And any good business under those circumstances will have adequate security.

But to say that crime naturally happens in and around medical marijuana dispensaries is false propaganda and is offensive to patients. Crime happens everywhere. If you haven’t noticed, jobs have been scarce for over 4 years now.

- Joe Klare