Citation

Freisthler B, Ponicki WR, Gaidus A, Gruenewald PJ. Addiction 2016; 111(6): 1027-1035.

Affiliation

Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 180 Grand Avenue, Suite 1200, Oakland, CA, 94612-3749.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/add.13301

PMID

26748438

Abstract

AIMS: To determine whether the density of marijuana dispensaries in California, USA, in 2012-2013 was related to violent and property crimes, both locally and in adjacent areas, during a time in which local law enforcement conducted operations to reduce the number of store-front medical marijuana dispensaries.

DESIGN: Data on locations of crimes and medical marijuana dispensaries as well as other covariates were collected for a sample of 333 Census block groups. . SETTING: Long Beach, California, USA from January 2012 through December 2013. OBSERVATIONS: A total of 7,992 space-time observations (from 333 Census block groups over 24 time points). MEASUREMENTS: Outcome measures focused on block-group counts of violent and property crimes. Predictors were numbers of local and adjacent-area medical marijuana dispensaries. Covariates included markers of alcohol availability as well as area demographic and economic characteristics.

FINDINGS: After adjustment for covariates, density of medical marijuana dispensaries was unrelated to property and violent crimes in local areas but positively related to crime in spatially adjacent areas [IRR = 1.02, CI (1.01, 1.04) for violent crime, IRR = 1.02, CI (1.01, 1.03) for property crime].

CONCLUSIONS: Using law enforcement to reduce medical marijuana dispensaries in California appears to have reduced crime in residential areas near to, but not in, these locations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Language: en