- 2015/01/23
Omaha, Nebraska – NCJR has released a report entitled Colorado's Legalization of Medicinal Marijuana: The Effect on Nebraska’s Law Enforcement and Local Jail System. Findings include:
Border counties and I-80 corridor counties have arguably been the hardest hit by Colorado’s decision to legalize marijuana.
There is an obvious and noticeable trend upward in marijuana related criminal justice activities since 2000 in border counties and I-80 counties, while smaller increases or even average decreases have taken place in control counties.
The 14 years of available data provide strong support for the argument that border counties have experienced larger relative increases than other Nebraska counties.
Importantly, data is not yet available regarding the impact of Colorado’s legalization of recreational use of marijuana in January of 2014. The 2014 data will be available this year and will be included in a report submitted to the Legislature in December, 2015.