German Government: No Connection Between Cannabis Legalization And Organized Crime
Since the implementation of the first provisions of adult-use cannabis legalization in Germany back on April 1st, 2024, some cannabis opponents inside and outside of the country have tried to claim that recreational legalization is causing a spike in organized crime activity.
However, in the federal government’s answer to a recent inquiry made by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group regarding the “Mocro Mafia” in North Rhine-Westphalia, it was made clear that this is not the case based on the available evidence. The question and answer was included in the German Cannabis Business Association’s (BvCW) recent newsletter.
“Does the federal government see a connection between the legalization of cannabis and the increase in organized crime? especially the “Mocro-Mafia” in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), and if not, why not?” was the question posed by the CDU/CSU faction (question #27, translated from German to English).
“The legal changes as part of the legalization of cannabis are only been in force for a few months. At present, no conclusions can be made about the impact on organized crime. Over and beyond
the events mentioned in North Rhine-Westphalia are probably not due to the partial legalization of cannabis, but rather to independent conflicts between rival criminal gangs.” the federal government stated in response to the question.
The answer from Germany’s federal government comes on the heels of the results of a peer-reviewed study being published that addressed another claim made by global cannabis opponents, this one being based on the claim that ‘legal cannabis sales lead to a spike in emergency room visits.’
“This study investigates the impact of recreational cannabis retailer allocation on emergency department (ED) visits related to cannabis, alcohol, and opioids.” the researchers in the recent study stated. The study used data from Canada’s legal recreational market which launched in 2018.
“No significant effects were found in cannabis, alcohol, or opioid-related ED visits following the allocation of cannabis retailers.” the researchers concluded. “The allocation of recreational cannabis retailer licenses did not significantly impact acute care use.”
Another common claim made by cannabis opponents is that ‘cannabis legalization harms youth and increases youth consumption rates.’ Numerous studies have looked at the data in the United States where several state-level legalization laws have been adopted going back to 2012.
“Youth marijuana use declined in 19 out of 21 states that legalized adult-use marijuana—with teen cannabis consumption down an average of 35 percent in the first states to legalize a decade ago—according to government data.” Marijuana Moment stated in its recent reporting.