Working Paper: NBER ID: w23426
Authors: Zhuang Hao; Benjamin Cowan
Abstract: We examine the spillover effects of recreational marijuana legalization (RML) in Colorado and Washington on neighboring states. We find that RML causes a sharp increase in marijuana possession arrests in border counties of neighboring states relative to non-border counties in these states. RML has no impact on juvenile marijuana possession arrests but is rather fully concentrated among adults. Using separate data on self-reported marijuana use, we show this is accompanied by an increase in use in neighboring states relative to non-neighboring states. We do not find conclusive evidence that marijuana sale/manufacture arrests, DUI arrests, or opium/cocaine possession arrests in border states are affected by RML.
Keywords: Recreational Marijuana; Legalization; Border Counties; Marijuana Arrests
JEL Codes: I12; I18; K14
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| RML in Colorado and Washington (R59) | marijuana possession arrests in border counties of neighboring states (K37) |
| self-reported marijuana use in neighboring states (I12) | marijuana possession arrests in border counties of neighboring states (K37) |
| RML in Colorado and Washington (R59) | self-reported marijuana use in neighboring states (I12) |