COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As Ohio lawmakers weigh changes to voter-approved cannabis law, NBC4 investigated concerns contributing to the call for reform.

Ohio lawmakers in favor of marijuana law changes said legalizing cannabis leads to increases in crime and traffic accidents. Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima), a sponsor of one pending marijuana bill, equated cannabis to alcohol concerning crime. See previous coverage of proposed cannabis law changes in the video player above.

“This is all true for marijuana,” Huffman said. “The more alcohol is available, the more people drink and the more bad behavior results. We’re not going to ban alcohol. We’re not going to ban marijuana. But there are things we can do to make sure that the worst situations happen less.”

NBC4 looked into the correlation between cannabis and crime and found the research varies wildly. Recreational cannabis is newly legal, so there has not been much time to conduct research, limiting studies. Further, there are many other factors regarding crime, making it hard to single out cannabis’ effects.

The Moritz School of Law at Ohio State University looked into the topic extensively, comparing trustworthy sources and conducting its own research. Ohio State researchers said much of the data regarding legalized recreational marijuana is limited, leading to discrepancies between studies. However, Ohio State researchers have generally concluded legalizing recreational cannabis does not lead to more crime.

“Overall, the literature exploring the relationship between liberalization of marijuana policies and crime seems to suggest that legalizing marijuana is not a threat to public safety,” Ohio State researchers said.

A 2022 Ohio State study compared literature from states that had already legalized recreational use and found there can be benefits to legalization in public safety and health. According to preliminary data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, crashes involving marijuana declined by 12% from 2023 to 2024, when recreational marijuana was legalized. During that same period, fatal crashes declined by 30%.

NBC4 analyzed highway patrol data regarding substance-impaired driving arrests from 2020 through the most recently available data, March 9, 2025. To fairly analyze the changes, the year-long data from 2020 to ’24 was prorated to compare with this year’s data, and this year’s data thus far was used as an estimate to calculate year-long 2025 data.

State data shows OVI arrests are slightly more common in warmer months but not different enough to discount the several hundred fewer arrests after legalization. Similarly, warmer months may contribute to a higher-than-estimated final OVI tally in 2025, but they do not appear to differ dramatically enough to account for the estimated 1,000 fewer cases. Increased awareness of legalization could also be a factor in this decrease.

Generally, marijuana crime has gone down since legalization, which is to be expected as some former offenses are no longer illegal. An Ohio State study published in February surveyed Ohio law enforcement agency leadership about the effects of cannabis legalization. Those surveyed said relevant cannabis offenses occur around the same frequency as before legalization.

However, law enforcement leaders reported some difficulties following legalization. Law enforcement mostly said it is now more difficult to search vehicles during traffic stops and investigate other crimes, as marijuana alone no longer qualifies as reasonable suspicion. In response, pro-legalization advocates often point to the many studies that have found legalization cuts down on over policing of people of color.

Half of the sheriffs and police chiefs surveyed also reported being “strongly concerned” that legalization would increase access to illegal drugs on the street. That fear is coupled with Ohio’s high drug overdose rate, which the CDC places at a rate of 45.6 per 100,000 people, much higher than the national average of 31.3. Like many cannabis questions, some research suggests marijuana can contribute to harder drug use, and other research suggests it helps decrease harder drug use.

Although Ohio State’s research indicates cannabis likely does not contribute significantly to higher crime rates, there are other concerns. Hannah Hayes, director of the Central Ohio Poison Control Center, said legalization has led to noticeable increases in Ohioans under the age of six accidentally ingesting cannabis, a conclusion supported by a recent nationwide study.

As Ohio lawmakers and citizens alike look toward the state’s future with cannabis, research indicates it likely won’t increase crime dramatically, but other concerns need to be studied further. Legalization was enacted by voters, so Huffman said it will not be repealed, but regulations can be changed by lawmakers.

Two marijuana reform bills currently sit in the House, with one in the House Judiciary Committee after being passed in the Senate. The Judiciary Committee is set to meet Wednesday, but is not scheduled to discuss either marijuana bill.