Legalizing Marijuana For Recreational Or Medical Use Leads To Reductions In Different Types Of Crime, Study Finds

Legalizing marijuana for adult use is linked to gradual reductions in violent crime—while medical cannabis legalization is associated with lower rates of property crime—according to a new study.

As more states move to enact legalization, researchers at Jack Welch College of Business and Technology, Barnard College, National Chengchi University and Longwood University set out to investigate the relationship between different versions of the reform and crime trends.

The study, published in the journal Economic Modelling, identified a unique divide when looking at the impact of legalizing cannabis for recreational as compared to medical purposes, with analytic models revealing how different forms of regulated access seem to be associated with different patterns in criminal activity.

“Novel policies may generate unintended spillovers, particularly when legalizing one activity alters incentives for other forms of crime,” the study authors wrote. “Marijuana legalization provides a useful setting to examine such effects, given the staggered adoption of medical and recreational laws across all 50 U.S. states.”

“We find that medical legalization reduces property crime, while recreational legalization reduces violent crime.”

While initial analyses signaled that adult-use legalization might increase property crime, once state-specific time trends where incorporated into the researchers’ models with synthetic specification, “the effect becomes negative and statistically insignificant.”

“Overall, the findings indicate that estimated crime effects are highly sensitive to identification assumptions and do not provide robust evidence of an increase in property crime following legalization, underscoring the importance of careful empirical design in policy evaluation,” the study says.

Notably, the researchers found that the impact of cannabis reform on crime is gradual, with the effects manifesting “powerfully after several years.” For advocates pushing for legalization, the authors said, that means they should exercise caution in how they frame the issue, as crime rate declines don’t appear to happen overnight.

“What emerges from our multi-step analysis is a birds-eye view of legalization: medical and recreational legalization have different impacts and operate through diverse channels, with significant lag effects,” they said. “The overarching result from our main synthetic difference in differences model is that medical legalization reduces property crime, while recreational legalization reduces violent crime.”

“Such effects support the Becker hypothesis that legalization drives out crime. Building up to the synthetic difference in difference model, we discovered that there may also be important lag effects. The diverse and potentially time-varying impacts of medical and recreational legalization raise a cautionary note to policymakers: those considering legalization should wait a few years before pronouncing on the cost–benefit impact, focus on the specific type of legalization, and study closely the outcomes from similar states.”

It’s not immediately clear from the research why medical and recreational marijuana legalization would lead to diverging crime trends, but  the broader impact of the reform on crime has been studied before.

Last year, for example, a study looking at Atlanta’s move to decriminalize marijuana concluded that, contrary to warnings from some critics, the policy change in fact led to a decrease in violent crime as police turned their attention to more urgent matters.

A 2024 analysis of violence between intimate partners separately found that legalizing marijuana for adult use “results in a substantial decrease in rates of intimate partner violence.”

A 2021 study, meanwhile, found that reductions of crime generally after marijuana legalization was being significantly understated because the FBI data is inconsistent and comes from voluntary participation by local agencies.

In 2020, researchers looked at how adult-use marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado affected crime rates in neighboring states, and the resulting study determined that passage of recreational cannabis laws may have actually reduced certain major crimes in nearby jurisdictions.

The previous year, a federally funded study found that legalizing marijuana has little to no impact on rates of violent or property crime. The policy change did seem connected to a long-term decline in burglaries in one state, however.

A 2018 study from the think tank RAND said county-level data from California suggested that there was “no relationship between county laws that legally permit dispensaries and reported violent crime,” the researchers wrote. What’s more, there was a “negative and significant relationship between dispensary allowances and property crime rates,” though it’s possible that’s the product of “pre-existing trends.”

That same year, researchers at Victoria University of Wellington and Harvard University found that medical marijuana laws essentially have a null effect of crime rates, with one big exception: A nearly 20 percent reduction in violent and property crimes in California following the legalization of medical cannabis there.

Marijuana May Be A ‘Gateway To Women’s Orgasm’ In Sexual Health Treatment, Scientific Analysis Finds

Marijuana may be a “gateway,” but not in the stigmatized way it’s been portrayed by prohibitionists as a stepping stone to other drugs. Rather, a growing body of scientific literature signals cannabis is a “gateway to women’s orgasm” that could hold significant therapeutic potential in the treatment of female orgasmic disorder/difficulty (FOD), a new research paper says.

For the analysis, published in the journal Current Sexual Health Reports last week, clinical sexologist Suzanne Mulvehill discussed how, even though FOD affects an estimated 72 percent of premenopausal women, there are currently no drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the condition. And cannabis represents a novel therapy that could fill that treatment gap.

“Psychiatrists have traditionally been trained to define legitimate prescribing primarily through formally regulated pharmaceutical pathways, even while routinely prescribing medications off-label. For FOD, cannabis falls outside this conventional framework,” the report says. “Recognizing its therapeutic value therefore asks psychiatry to broaden its understanding of what constitutes medicine and evidence-based care, particularly for conditions that lack effective conventional pharmacologic options.”

“Five decades of convergent evidence…demonstrate a consistent association between cannabis use and enhanced orgasmic function.”

Mulvehill emphasized that incorporating cannabis into sexual medicine “will require openness to recognizing it as a therapeutic ally and developing clinical competence in its responsible use,” while rejecting antiquated framing that’s regarded marijuana as a “gateway” to dangerous drugs that must be “avoided at all costs.”

“This stigma shaped society as a whole, as well as the training of psychiatrists and therapists,” Mulvehill, founder of the Female Orgasm Training Institute, said. “Yet cannabis today should be reframed: not as a gateway to illicit drug use, but as a gateway to women’s orgasm—and, more broadly, to restoring women’s sexual agency.”

“Female Orgasmic Disorder/Difficulty remains one of the most prevalent yet least adequately treated conditions in women’s health,” the paper says. “The absence of FDA-approved pharmacological treatments, combined with the limited effectiveness of existing psychological and behavioral interventions, reflects a fundamental mismatch between the complexity of orgasmic difficulty and the scope of most current treatment models. The evidence reviewed demonstrates that cannabis occupies a uniquely promising position within this gap.”

The analysis points to five decades of research into cannabis that’s demonstrated “consistent associations with improvements in orgasm frequency, ease, and satisfaction, while simultaneously reducing anxiety, inhibition, cognitive distraction, and bodily disconnection, which are core barriers to orgasmic function.”

“Integrating cannabis into sexual medicine represents both a clinical and cultural shift,” the author wrote. “What distinguishes cannabis is not merely its ability to improve a single symptom, but its capacity to therapeutically influence multiple orgasm-facilitating and orgasm-inhibiting processes simultaneously, aligning with the multidimensional nature of Female Orgasmic Disorder/Difficulty.”

“Moving forward will require an expansion of clinical perspective beyond traditional treatment frameworks, alongside interdisciplinary collaboration, provider education, and clear clinical guidance on dosing and administration to ensure safe, evidence-based care. Together, these developments position cannabis as a legitimate therapeutic ally in advancing equity, effectiveness, and innovation in women’s health care.”

A previous scientific review Mulvehill coauthored last year pointed to ample evidence that cannabis is associated with improvements in symptoms of FOD.

The research involved an analysis of one randomized controlled trial and 15 observational studies, using data from a total of 8,849 women. Based on the findings, study authors determined that marijuana “appears to be a promising treatment option for FOD/difficulty, with the majority of studies reviewed reporting improvements in orgasm function and satisfaction among women who use cannabis.”

Relatedly, another study published last year determined that marijuana use is linked to increased sexual desire and arousal, as well as lower levels of sexual distress.

In 2024, a study found that cannabis-infused vaginal suppositories seemed to reduce sexual pain in women after treatment for gynecological cancer. Combining the suppositories with online exercises in “mindful compassion” offered patients even more substantial benefits.

“The outcomes favoured the [combined] group,” that research said “in which sexual function, levels of sexual arousal, lubrication, and orgasm increased, and the levels of sexual pain decreased.”

Earlier research also found that administration of a broad-spectrum, high-CBD vaginal suppository was associated with “significantly reduced frequency and severity of menstrual-related symptoms” as well as the symptoms’ negative impacts on daily life.

As for sexual fulfillment, a separate study last year found that while alcohol might be effective to “facilitate” sex, marijuana is better at enhancing sexual sensitivity and satisfaction.

While alcohol increased some elements of sexual attraction—including making people feel more attractive, more extroverted and more desirous—people who used marijuana “have more sensitivity and they are more sexually satisfied than when they consume alcohol,” authors wrote.

A broad scientific review of academic research on cannabis and human sexuality published in 2024 concluded that while the relationship between marijuana and sex is a complicated one, use of cannabis is generally associated with more frequent sexual activity as well as increased sexual desire and enjoyment.

That article, published in the journal Psychopharmacology, also suggested that lower doses of marijuana may actually be best suited for sexual satisfaction, while higher doses could in fact lead to decreases in desire and performance. And it suggested effects may differ between men and women.

Some advocates have cited the potential for cannabis to improve sexual function in women as a reason to add conditions such as FOD as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana.

A 2020 study in the journal Sexual Medicine, meanwhile, found that women who used cannabis more often had better sex.

Numerous online surveys have also reported positive associations between marijuana and sex. One study even found a connection between the passage of marijuana laws and increased sexual activity.

Yet another study, however, cautions that more marijuana doesn’t necessarily mean better sex. A literature review published in 2019 found that cannabis’s impact on libido may depend on dosage, with lower amounts of THC correlating with the highest levels of arousal and satisfaction. Most studies showed that marijuana has a positive effect on women’s sexual function, the study found, but too much THC can actually backfire.

Separately, a paper last year in the journal Nature Scientific Reports that purported to be the first scientific study to formally explore the effects of psychedelics on sexual functioning found that drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms and LSD could have beneficial effects on sexual functioning—even months after use.

“On the surface, this type of research may seem ‘quirky,’” one of the authors of that study said, “but the psychological aspects of sexual function—including how we think about our own bodies, our attraction to our partners, and our ability to connect to people intimately—are all important to psychological wellbeing in sexually active adults.”

Photo courtesy of Max Jackson.

Psilocybin Helps People Quit Cigarettes More Effectively Than Nicotine Patches Do, American Medical Association-Published Study Shows

Just one dose of psilocybin combined with therapy is associated with “significantly increased long-term abstinence” from cigarettes compared to nicotine patches, according to a new study published by the American Medical Association (AMA) that indicates the psychedelic “holds potential in the treatment of tobacco use disorder.”

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted the study, published in JAMA Substance Use and Addiction, finding more evidence about the therapeutic potential of single-dose psilocybin in tandem with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

The randomized clinical trial of cigarette smokers involved administering one high dose (30mg/70kg) of psilocybin or 8-10 weeks of Food and Drug Administration- (FDA) approved nicotine patch treatment, with both groups participating in a 13-week CBT program for smoking cessation.

“A single psilocybin dose combined with manualized CBT yielded significantly greater smoking abstinence than the nicotine patch paired with the same CBT.”

“A total of 82 psychiatrically healthy adult smokers participated in the study, with 68 (82.9 percent) completing the 6-month follow-up,” the paper says. “At 6-month follow-up, 17 participants receiving psilocybin (40.5 percent) exhibited biochemically verified prolonged abstinence compared with 4 participants using the nicotine patch (10.0 percent), and 22 participants receiving psilocybin (52.4 percent) exhibited biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence compared with 10 participants using the nicotine patch (25.0 percent).”

Put another way, smokers who received psilocybin had more than six times greater odds of prolonged abstinence and more than three times greater odds of seven-day abstinence compared to the nicotine patch participants.

“In this pilot randomized clinical trial, one dose of psilocybin with manualized CBT significantly increased long-term abstinence compared with nicotine patch treatment with CBT,” the authors said. “Psilocybin abstinence rates were higher than typical treatments, suggesting promise for tobacco smoking cessation.”

“Participants in the psilocybin group smoked a mean of approximately 50 percent fewer [cigarettes per day] between the target quit date and 6-month follow-up,” they said. “The results of this study add to the increasing evidence that psychedelic treatment may have general anti-addiction efficacy across various addictive drugs.”

“Psilocybin’s lack of direct interaction with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (or receptors mediating the effects of other addictive drugs) highlights psychedelic therapy as a unique approach wherein the pharmacotherapy does not directly alter drug reinforcement or withdrawal but may instead act via higher-order psychological systems, such as changes in self-concept40 and enhanced psychological flexibility. Such mechanisms may also account for transdiagnostic benefits of psychedelic therapies (eg, for depression and anxiety). These psychological changes are likely associated with corresponding biological processes, just as there are presumably biological changes associated with successful psychotherapy. However, these biological processes are probably of a different nature and more difficult to characterize than those of traditional pharmacotherapies.”

The study authors also said that the results of the psilocybin-assisted therapy clinical trial makes the psychedelic a “promising candidate for smoking cessation that should move forward in the FDA process toward potential approval.”

As psychedelics policy reform advances in state legislatures across the U.S. and in Congress, Americans have shown growing interest in exploring the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin. To that point, a RAND Corporation analysis recently found that nearly 10 million American adults microdosed psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin, LSD or MDMA in 2025.

A scientific review published by AMA last year that use of psilocybin has “surged” in the U.S. in recent years amid the decriminalization movement and in light of “promising clinical trial results” on its therapeutic potential. But the paper also pointed out that current federal laws present “a major barrier” to researchers gaining a better understanding of the psychedelic substance’s true impacts.

Meanwhile, another study from last year found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy “showed significant reductions in alcohol consumption and high smoking cessation rates” and has potential to lessen opioid dependence.

In 2024, meanwhile, two other studies—including one with contributions from a top federal drug official—examined psychedelics and alcohol use disorder (AUD).

One found that a single dose of psilocybin “was safe and effective in reducing alcohol consumption in AUD patients,” while the other concludes that classic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD “have demonstrated potential for treating drug addiction, especially AUD.”

The National Institutes of Health that year also announced that it would put $2.4 million toward funding studies on the use of psychedelics to treat methamphetamine use disorders—funding that came as federal health officials noted sharp increases in deaths from methamphetamine and other psychostimulants in recent years, with fatal overdoses involving the substances rising nearly fivefold between 2015 and 2022.

In 2023, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced a $1.5 million funding round to further study psychedelics and addiction.

Other research has also suggested that psychedelics could unlock promising new pathways to treat addiction. A first-of-its-kind analysis in 2023 offered novel insights into exactly how psychedelic-assisted therapy works for people with alcohol use disorder.

In 2024, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), identified the treatment of alcohol use disorder as one of a number of possible benefits of psilocybin, despite the substance remaining a Schedule I controlled substance under U.S. law.

The agency highlighted a 2022 study that “suggested that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.” The research found people who were in psilocybin-assisted therapy had fewer heavy-drinking days over 32 weeks than the control group, which NCCIH said “suggests that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.”