Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-23-2015
Publication Title
Criminal Justice Policy Review
Volume
28
Issue
9
Abstract
With the passage of Amendments 20 (2000) and 64 (2012), Colorado legalized the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana. Nebraskan law enforcement in border counties subsequently reported increases in arrests and reductions in jail space. In response, the Nebraska state legislature passed LR-520 to study the potential increased costs incurred by criminal justice agencies in border counties. To investigate this situation, we compare trends in drug arrests and jail occupancy across three areas: border counties, those that contain Interstate 80 (I-80) as a major transportation route, and the remaining counties in the state of Nebraska from 2000 through 2013. We found that border counties, but not necessarily those along the I-80 corridor, experienced significant growth in marijuana-related arrests and jail admissions after the expansion of the medical marijuana program in Colorado. Implications for research and policy are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Ellison, J. M., & Spohn, R. E. (2015). Borders Up in Smoke: Marijuana Enforcement in Nebraska After Colorado’s Legalization of Medicinal Marijuana. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 28(9), 847–865. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403415615649
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Sage in Criminal Justice Policy Review on [November 23, 2015], available online: https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403415615649
Reuse restricted to noncommercial and no derivative uses.
This article was originally published here: http://cjp.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/11/23/0887403415615649.abstract.
Reprinted, Abstract and Summary in the London School of Economics’ American Politics and Policy Blog, Urban and Regional Policy, Dec., 2015. London, UK http://bit.ly/1QYnAde