The Impact of Marijuana Decriminalization on Crime: Evidence from Atlanta

In 2017, Atlanta decriminalized misdemeanor amounts of marijuana. Previously, possession of an ounce or less could result in a fine of up to $1,500 and a year in jail under Georgia state law. After decriminalization, the penalty in Atlanta was reduced to a maximum $75 fine with no jail time. We employ two-way fixed effects and synthetic difference-in-difference methods to analyze the impact on Atlanta’s crime rates, using other Georgia cities still enforcing state law as a control group. Our findings suggest that decriminalization led to a reduction in violent crime and violent crime clearances, likely due to police reallocating resources from marijuana enforcement to violent crime prevention—aligning with claims by the Atlanta Police Department.