Does Availability Of Legal Drugs Reduce Crime?

A new study out from Rand suggests as much.  Rand Corp. studied crime rates around several LA marijuana dispensaries which were forced to close after the city adopted a new medical marijuana ordinance in 2010.  The findings: crime spiked 59% within three-tenths of a mile of a closed dispensary (compared to an open one) and rose 24% in the area within six tenths of a mile of the closed facility.  Not surprisingly, city officials dispute the data.