Potheads: Are They Criminals?

Teenagers who use marijuana will grow up and become criminals… isn’t it right? This is certainly a “taken-for-granted truth” often mentioned by those who believe legalization causes an increase in the number of underage cannabis smokers. In 2009, Willy Pedersen and TorbjørnSkardhamar, two Norwegian scholars, published an article titled Cannabis and crime: findings from a longitudinal study. Here is what the two scientists said: “We found robust associations between cannabis use and later registered criminal charges, both in adolescence and in young adulthood. These associations were adjusted for a range of confounding factors, such as family socio-economic background, parental support and monitoring, educational achievement and career, previous criminal charges, conduct problems and history of cohabitation and marriage.”

Basically, yes: there is a relationship between drug use in adolescence and criminal charges. There is, however, something else the two scholars underlined: “the bulk of this involvement [in criminal activity] seems to be related to various types of drug-specific crime. Thus, the association seems to rest on the fact that use, possession and distribution of drugs such as cannabis is illegal.” In other words, the kids “become” criminals, because cannabis is illegal! But what happens if pot is legal? Well, a recent study conducted by the University of London, titled Crime and the Depenalization of Cannabis Possession: Evidence from a Policing Experiment, shows that once cannabis become legal, crime rates drop.

All this demonstrates two things.

First of all, one of the worst consequences of the criminalization of cannabis is the fact that users becomes criminal too. Human beings have been cannabis users for centuries: there is something about the plant, a deep connection that keeps us close. But if suddenly marijuana becomes illegal, all those who smoke it begin to look at themselves as “deviant” individuals. This is a vicious circle that turns young potheads into criminals by definition.

Secondly, the studies I just mentioned clearly demonstrates the absurdity of the “teenagers who smoke pot are criminal” discourse. If the legalization of pot translates into a drop of crimes rates, pot users are obviously criminals only because they smoke pot and not because they kill or rob someone. If going online and buy some weed is not illegal, and if buying pot in your hometown is not illegal, then pot users will not be criminals.

Please, think about this the next time you hear someone talking about cannabis and crime.