Parts of A Study

The primary hypothesis is that there is a direct correlation between property and violent crimes with decriminalization, recreation, and medical marijuana legalization. This guides the researchers to predict a positive relationship between the variables. For instance, the first part of the methodology predicted that change in some crimes would relate to changes in marijuana laws. The second part also predicted that the restrictiveness of a state’s laws is proportional to crime rates and the legal status of marijuana.

The study is nonexperimental. That is, the researchers do not manipulate the variables, but analyses data from the value in their natural form. I think the researchers used this method since it is impossible to assign conditions to either of the variables randomly. They are broadly, and they relate to one another casually, making it difficult to derive a specific research question. Besides, the topic is extensive and exploratory, as illustrated in the methodology that has four parts.

The dependent variables are decriminalization and legalization of both recreation and medical marijuana. The independent variables are the rate of property and violent crimes. Researchers tested the impacts of decriminalization and legalization of both recreation and medical marijuana of marijuana on the rate of property and violent crimes in 50 states between 2010 and 2014.

Decriminalization describes laws that reduce or eliminate penalties for sale, purchase, or marijuana possession, although marijuana remains illegal (Maier et al. 130). Legalization of recreational marijuana means its possession or consumption of marijuana by persons aged 21 and above is not a crime. The legalization of medical marijuana means its consumption is allowed only through clinical prescription. The three variables were measures by recording the statutory Acts and reforms regarding the legal status of marijuana. The rate of property and crime is the number of related events yearly between 2010 and 2014. The two were measured by the Uniform Crime Reporting Program for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Works Cited

Maier, Shana L. et al. “The Implications Of Marijuana Decriminalization And Legalization On Crime In The United States.” Contemporary Drug Problems, vol 44, no. 2, 2017, pp. 125-146. SAGE Publications, doi:10.1177/0091450917708790. Accessed 21 Sept 2020.