With the deadline to decide — Dec. 31 — fast approaching and the future of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a new productive and equitable market sector still uncertain in towns, villages and hamlets across the state, it’s critical we face the facts and dispel the disinformation and myths that riddle the cannabis dispensary debate. (And here’s a disclosure up front: I profit from the expansion of the cannabis business in our state.) Legalization makes cannabis harder to obtain. Anyone who has visited a legal cannabis dispensary, whether medical or recreational, will tell you that no one under the age of 21 is allowed to enter.

Cannabis does not lead to an increase in crime

It is commonly believed that legal cannabis leads to an increase in crime. However, a 2017 study, published in the Journal of Urban Economics, found that dispensary closures caused nearly a 12% increase in crime in surrounding areas, leading researchers to conclude that dispensaries make neighborhoods safer. Additional studies, including one from 2019 published in Regional Science and Urban Economics, have indicated that crime rates drop significantly when states transition from cannabis prohibition to adult-use legalization.

Among many reasons areas become safer when a cannabis dispensary moves in is that dispensaries are safe and secure neighbors. Regulations vary, but nearly every state requires cannabis retail locations to maintain ample security protocols to protect customers and products, creating highly safe locations.