"The Changing Landscape of Misdemeanor Marijuana Possession Charging in Columbus, Ohio: 2011–2021"

I am pleased to be able spotlight yet another recent research paper from the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University.  This new paper, which shares the title of this post, is authored by Alex Fraga, Jana Hrdinova and Dexter Ridgway.  Here is its abstract:

In July 2019 Columbus City Council passed ordinances which significantly reduced punishment for possession of marijuana.  Shortly after, at the beginning of August 2019, Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced that his office would no longer prosecute misdemeanor marijuana possession cases.  Using a dataset of all misdemeanor cases from January 2011 through August 2021, we sought to review and assess changes in misdemeanor marijuana possession cases before and after the Columbus City Council reduced punishment for marijuana possession cases and City Attorney Klein’s announcement of the “no prosecution” policy.  The data reveal a significant drop in the number of misdemeanor marijuana possession cases filed in the Franklin County Municipal Court, and that the adoption of the new policies had different impacts on the various law enforcement agencies that operate within the Franklin County boundaries.  The data also suggests that the simultaneous implementation of a no-prosecute policy and adoption of lower penalties for marijuana possession might have reduced racial disparities in marijuana possession charges in Franklin County overall.  This was mostly likely driven by the near complete cessation of marijuana possession charges originating from the Columbus Division of Police.