Does marijuana make people violent? Washington state's murder and assault rate surged 40% after drug was legalized - and experts insist that's not a coincidence


Washington's murder and aggravated-assault rates surged 40% in 2013-2017

The state became the first to legalize marijuana recreationally in 2012, the drug became available to the public in 2014

A new book claims evidence shows marijuana causes mental illness and violence

Author Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter, outlines the drug's links to psychosis

He warns that pot is stronger now than it was in the 70s, and that increase the risk

Berenson claims the rise in homicides in Washington mirrors the uptick in cannabis use and hospitalizations for psychosis

The National Academy of Medicine says there are not enough studies on cannabis to understand the risks and benefits

US Surgeon General Jerome Adams has called for a rescheduling of cannabis so that it could be more widely studied by scientists

A new book claims that marijuana causes aggression, psychosis, suicides, violence - and that its legalization in Washington even triggered a 40 percent increase in murder rates.

There is little concrete information about the drug's benefits (despite plenty of claims) because its illegality has made it difficult to study.

But according to former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson, there is clear evidence that marijuana is not as safe - and certainly not as curative - as the pro-cannabis groups would have us believe.

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