Get the Facts on Cannabis Legalization
Teen Use
The Colorado state government issued a report finding that teen cannabis use has decreased since legalization was enacted in 2012.
SOURCE:
Percentage of Past 30 Day Marijuana Use among High School & Middle School Students, Colorado and United States 2005 to 2021 / Healthy Kids Colorado Survey / Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment / September 12, 2024
Between 2013 and 2023, the percentage of Colorado high school students who consumed cannabis one or more times in the past 30 days decreased from 19.7% to 12.8%.
The Washington state government issued a report last year finding that cannabis use among 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders has decreased since legalization was approved by voters in 2012.
SOURCE:
30-Day Marijuana Use, Grades 6, 8, 10 and 12, 2002-2023 (pg. 137) / Analytic Report, Healthy Youth Survey 2023 / July 2024
From 2012 and 2023, the percentage of Washington students who consumed cannabis one or more times in the past 30 days decreased:
For 6th graders, from 1.2% to 0.5%;
For 8th graders, from 9.4% to 3.7%;
For 10th graders, from 19.3% to 8.4%; and
For 12th graders, from 26.7% to 16.3%.
Current marijuana use among adolescents decreased from 23.1% in 2011 to 15.8% in 2021. First-time use before age 13 also dropped from 8.1% to 4.9%.
SOURCE: Trends in Marijuana Use among Adolescents in the United States / Published in Pediatric Reports / October 2024
Peer-reviewed research covering ten legalization states found no evidence that legalization laws are associated with increases in teen marijuana use.
SOURCE:
Association of Marijuana Legalization With Marijuana Use Among US High School Students, 1993-2019 / Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association / July 2021
“In this cross-sectional study using weighted national YRBS [Youth Risk Behavior Survey] data and weighted state YRBS [Youth Risk Behavior Survey] data, there were no significant associations between enactment of RMLs [recreational marijuana laws] or MMLs [medical marijuana laws] and marijuana use among high school students.”
Crime
Multiple studies have found that cannabis legalization laws improve the rate at which police solve violent crimes.
SOURCES:
Marijuana Legalization and Crime Clearance Rates: Testing Proponent Assertions in Colorado and Washington State / Published in Police Quarterly / July 2018
“This set of findings suggests that right around the time of legalization, clearance rates trends seemed to increase for violent crime in general for both Colorado and Washington, though no similar shifts are noted for the country as a whole.”
Effects of recreational marijuana legalization on clearance rates for violent crimes: Evidence from Oregon / Published in International Journal of Drug Policy / February 2022
“…with multiple types of violent crime clearances examined, legalization in [Oregon] has led to significant increases in the clearance rates for violent crime overall…and aggravated assault…”
Legalization has not increased crime rates in Colorado or Washington.
SOURCE:
The Cannabis Effect on Crime: Time-Series Analysis of Crime in Colorado and Washington State / Published in Justice Quarterly / September 2019
“Our results suggest that marijuana legalization and sales have had minimal to no effect on major crimes in Colorado or Washington. We observed no statistically significant long-term effects of recreational cannabis laws or the initiation of retail sales on violent or property crime rates in these states.”
After passage of legalization laws in the US, seizures of marijuana at the southern border decreased by more than 80%.
SOURCE:
2020 National Drug Threat Assessment (pg. 47) / Drug Enforcement Administration / March 2021
“CBP [Customs and Border Protection] marijuana seizures along the SWB [Southwest border] have decreased more than 81 percent since 2013”
Driving
The average traffic fatality rate in legalization states is 10% lower than the US average.
SOURCE:
The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations: 2021 Update (Figure 9 of the appendix) / Published by The Cato Institute / February 2021
Based on 2018 data from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average number of fatalities per one million vehicle miles traveled in legalization states was 1.03 while the US average was 1.13.
When controlling for other factors and comparing traffic fatality rates of non-legalization states, research shows legalization did not cause an increase of traffic fatalities in Colorado or Washington states.
SOURCE:
Early evidence on recreational marijuana legalization and traffic fatalities / Published in Economic Inquiry / December 2018
“We test for a causal effect of marijuana legalization on traffic fatalities in Colorado and Washington with a synthetic control approach using records on fatal traffic accidents from 2000 to 2016. We find the synthetic control groups saw similar changes in marijuana-related, alcohol-related, and overall traffic fatality rates despite not legalizing recreational marijuana.”
Marijuana legalization and traffic fatalities revisited / Southern Economic Journal / September 2023
“Overall, our alternative estimators suggest either a smaller reduction (i.e., 3.9% drop in the overall fatality rate) or no change in traffic fatalities associated with legalizing marijuana for medical use, compared to the two-way fixed-effect estimator. We find no significant impact on traffic fatalities associated with legalizing marijuana for recreational use.”
The entry of recreational cannabis dispensaries in Colorado did not have a significant affect on traffic crashes.
SOURCE:
Does expanding access to cannabis affect traffic crashes? County-level evidence from recreational marijuana dispensary sales in Colorado / Published in Health Economics / August 2022
“[T]here is a lack of evidence that the traffic crash rate is statistically significantly affected by the entry of recreational cannabis dispensaries. Most of the estimates are small in magnitude and not statistically significantly different from zero. The preferred estimate suggests that, at 90% confidence level, a large increase in traffic crashes by more than 5% can be ruled out.”
Public Health
Legalization is linked with lower rates of alcohol, nicotine, and pain reliever misuse among young adults.
SOURCE:
Trends in Alcohol, Cigarette, E-Cigarette, and Nonprescribed Pain Reliever Use Among Young Adults in Washington State After Legalization of Nonmedical Cannabis / Published in the Journal of Adolescent Health / May 2022
“Contrary to concerns about spillover effects, implementation of legalized nonmedical cannabis coincided with decreases in alcohol and cigarette use and pain reliever misuse.”
Revenue
Legalization states are generating revenue that far exceeds the cost of regulation.
SOURCE:
Cannabis Tax Revenue in States that Regulate Cannabis for Adult Use / Published by the Marijuana Policy Project / 2023
“Through the end of 2022, states have reported a combined total of more than $15 billion in tax revenue from legal, adult-use cannabis sales.”
PRIMARY DATA SOURCES:
Colorado Department of Revenue
Washington State Department of Revenue
Oregon Department of Revenue
Alaska Department of Revenue
State of Nevada Department of Taxation
California Department of Tax and Fee Administration
Office of the Comptroller: Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency
Illinois Department of Revenue
Arizona Department of Revenue
Montana Department of Revenue
In the two years since Montana has legalized cannabis, the state has collected $137,761,279 in tax revenue.
SOURCE:
Cannabis Sales Reports / Published by the Montana Department of Revenue / 2024
Jobs
Legalization currently supports over 400,000 full-time jobs throughout the United States.
SOURCE:
Jobs Report 2022 / Published by Leafly and Whitney Economics / February 2022
“The 2022 Leafly Jobs Report found 428,059 full-time equivalent jobs supported by legal cannabis as of January 2022.”
Existing Laws
South Dakota has some of the strictest penalties for cannabis possession and usage in the nation.
SDCL 22-42-5: Possession of one edible is a Class 5 Felony which could result in five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
SDCL 22-42-6: Possession of one gram of cannabis is a Class 1 Misdemeanor which could result in one year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine.
SDCL 22-42-5.1: Ingestion of cannabis is a Class 5 Felony which could result in five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
South Dakota is the ONLY state in the country with felony-level possession via ingestion.
”The average cost to the state to house an adult offender in South Dakota prisons is $30,000 a year. The 241 inmates in prison for ingestion are costing the state roughly $7.2 million dollars [a year].”
SOURCE:
DOC: Most of inmates in for ingestion are serving maximum time / South Dakota Public Broadcasting / May 2024
There were 3,960 arrests in South Dakota for cannabis possession from July 1, 2021 (when Initiated Measure 26 took effect and legalized medical cannabis) to December, 2023 (the last month in the FBI’s crime database). Of those 3,960 arrests, 878 (22% of arrests) were Native Americans.
SOURCE: Crime Data Explorer / Federal Bureau of Investigation / October 16, 2024
Do you have questions?
We would welcome the opportunity to answer them! Please call or text (605) 269-8552. Or you can email us at info@southdakotamarijuana.org.