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."