Relationship Between Drugs and Criminal Homicide

Legalization of drugs like marijuana has reached a milestone in countries like the United States. Although some who are against legalization of drugs have warned against the increased crime rate from adopting policies that legalize certain drugs, studies have shown the opposite have happened. The legalization of marijuana in the United States has decreased crime rates, arrests, and homicides. This can be attributed to the lack of drug dealing, and drug wars that are often fueled by illegal drug markets. When drugs become legal, at least those that have been proven beneficial, like marijuana, it reduces the illegal activity that usually comes with the illegal drug. Mexican drug cartels have reduced in number thanks to the lack of marijuana smuggling to and from the United States. Legalization also improves selling conditions for the buyer and seller.

In a sixteen yearlong study, marijuana legalization proves reduction in crime rate vs. increase. "Results did not indicate a crime exacerbating effect of MML on any of the Part I offenses. Alternatively, state MML may be correlated with a reduction in homicide and assault rates, net of other covariates." (Morris et al. 1) Another article shows improved crime deterrence and lower crime rates in Columbia thanks to legalization of small amount of cocaine. Although cocaine has plagued Columbia for decades, legalization seems to improve an all too familiar negative condition within the country. Countries in South America are following suit, taking steps to legalize marijuana. "Colombia is part of a growing trend in Latin America. Last week, the government of Uruguay announced that it will submit a proposal to legalize marijuana under government-controlled regulation and sale, making it the first country in the world where the state would sell marijuana directly to its citizens." (Drugpolicy.org)

Criminal homicide or murder frequently consists of both manslaughter and murder. "Manslaughter refers to homicide without malice, and thus is differentiated from murder; however, it is often included in statistics describing murder, such as those gathered by INTERPOL." (Winslow 165) When drugs become legal, the instances of criminal homicide go down. This is because the act of selling these drugs becomes legal. Drug dealers, drug deals in general, often end with a murder or voluntary/involuntary manslaughter. This is because police may catch a drug deal and shoot fleeing suspects or drug deals may go awry within the criminal world where gangs and other criminal organizations take out any competition or rivals.

Another thing to consider is arrests. People being caught with illegal drugs like marijuana, faced unfair jail sentences that thus affected the rest of their lives. Many of those charged with drug possession end up performing other crimes because of lost jobs, lost opportunities, all stemming from a drug possession arrest. Subculture of violence theory suggests that the "subculture of violence can be found in other countries, namely in Columbia, Mexico, and India. The subculture of violence is a subculture emerging among youthful, black, urban males, and the subculture has its own codes and characteristic set of beliefs." (Winslow 190) So when an urban male youth becomes entangled in a world of illegal activity, mainly fueled by drugs, it promotes a level of violence that may contribute to homicide.