Reefer madness in the Trump White House

Get ready for an old-time “marijuana is linked to violent crime” story line from the old politicos in the White House.  The Hill reports that “The Trump administration is readying for a crackdown on marijuana users under Attorney General Jeff Sessions” in a report expected to be released next week.

However,  the Tacoma News Tribune reports that:

But those statements run contrary to the experience in Washington state, which became one of the first two U.S. states to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults in 2012.

Since voters approved Initiative 502, FBI crime statistics show lower rates of violent crime in Washington than before legalization.

The Gig Harbor Times prefers to point out that in general, crime is related to employment.  Higher employment leads to lower crime.  Employment has long been observed to be a correlate of criminal behavior. according to criminal studies.

The Gig Harbor Times notes that employment is UP and crime is DOWN since the legalization of marijuana and the increase in employment.  Perhaps Jeff Sessions should report that there is a link between marijuana and employment.  Smoke more, work more?  One thing for certain is that there’s a lot of smoke coming from the White House.