Rand Pulls Pot-Crime Study After LA Complains

Backers of medical marijuana got a surprise victory a few weeks ago in the form of a study from the Rand Corp. Researchers concluded that after Los Angeles authorities shut down hundreds of dispensaries last year, crime actually increased around the closed facilities. The victory proved short-lived: Rand has pulled the controversial study for review after the LA city attorney and other officials demanded its retraction, reports the Los Angeles Times.

“As we’ve begun to take a look at the report, we decided it’s best to remove it from circulation until that review is complete," said a spokesman. The city attorney had criticized the study—which compared crime stats in particular areas 10 days before the dispensaries shut down and 10 days after—as "highly suspect and unreliable." (More RAND Corporation stories.)