7:50am | Yesterday on Long Beach Post we ran a story on a RAND Corporation study that found statistical evidence suggesting there is no link between medical-marijuana dispensaries and crime. It has since been brought to our attention that the RAND Corporation has withdrawn the study pending further review.
Long Beach Post was made aware of the study via a press release from Americans for Safe Access, a nonprofit organization that bills itself as dedicated to “advancing legal medical marijuana therapeutics and research.” While the press release linked to the study in its entirety, that link did not contain the updated information that the RAND Corporation withdrew the study.
The Los Angeles Times quotes Warren Robak, a spokesperson for the RAND Corporation, as saying, “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.”
The Times also notes that the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office had “demanded that [the study] be retracted immediately”; and that on occasion Rand has removed studies from its Website pending further review.
Whatever the reasons for the study’s removal, obviously we at Long Beach Post were unaware of this aspect of the story, and we apologize for the unintentional omission. We strive always to be accurate and thorough, but in journalism, as in life, sometimes mistakes are made.