Came across these maps from Business Insider while tooling around on Slate.

Take a look at the state-level patterns across these two phenomena. Not to say anything causal, naturally, but it appears that if you want to avoid being murdered you might want to head to a state where your neighbors aren’t afraid to toke up.

Despite this (and other) lack of evidence for any real public safety consequences from marijuana use, the criminal consequences of pot possession continue to be heavy – particularly for people of color. Dylan Matthews did an eye-opening review of marijuana use and arrest statistics by race for the Washington Post. National surveys demonstrate that  black people are less likely than white people to be marijuana smokers.

However, blacks are several times more likely that whites to be arrested for its possession.

Decriminalization is one route to reducing some of our criminal justice system’s tremendous racial disparities.

Luckily, if cross-state murder rates are indicative of anything, it appears likely that we can enact those laws without unleashing the very devil himself.