Controversial Pot Study Rescinded

Bowing to pressure from the Los Angeles City Attorney's office, a prominent Santa Monica based think-tank has pulled a study that suggested that a crack down on medical marijuana dispensaries actually led to an increase in violent crime, The Los Angeles Times reports. 

The Times reported on Tuesday that Rand Corp. pulled the study at the urging of City Aty. Carmen Trutanich.

Click here to read the full Los Angeles Times Story

According to The Times, deputies from Trutanich's office demanded the retraction of the study in letter to Rand Corp. sent on Sept. 21

From The Times:

...Jane Usher, a special assistant city attorney, and Asha Greenberg, an assistant city attorney, demanded “the immediate retraction" of the Rand study. “Until you publicly retract your work, we expect the Rand publication to be referenced nationwide, at incalculable avoidable harm to public health and safety,” they wrote.

Warren Robak, a spokesman for Rand Corp., told The Times that the organization believed it was best to pull the study from circulation after "[taking] a look at the report."

Researchers looked at crime stats for the 10 days before and after the implementation of the city's shutdown of 400-plus pot dispensaries, and found a 59-percent dip in crime. However, the researchers also admitted that there was a considerable margin of error that might mitigate the study's findings.

Rand's decision to pull their report comes less than a week after the . Though L.A.'s ordinances allow a limited number of dispensaries to operate within the city limits, marijuana is considered a schedule I drug by the Federal government, and anyone who is found in possession of it is subject to fines or imprisonment.

There are currently two medical marijuana dispensaries operating in Highland Park, including the and the .