AIMS: To determine whether the density of marijuana dispensaries in California, USA, in 2012-13 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 storefront 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 to December 2013. OBSERVATIONS: A total of 7992 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 related positively to crime in spatially adjacent areas [incident rate ratio (IRR) = 1.0248, CI (1.0097, 1.0402) for violent crime, IRR = 1.0169, CI (1.0071, 1.0268) 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.
AIMS: To determine whether the density of marijuana dispensaries in California, USA, in 2012-13 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 storefront 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 to December 2013. OBSERVATIONS: A total of 7992 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 related positively to crime in spatially adjacent areas [incident rate ratio (IRR) = 1.0248, CI (1.0097, 1.0402) for violent crime, IRR = 1.0169, CI (1.0071, 1.0268) 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.
Authors: Eric R Pedersen; Caislin L Firth; Anthony Rodriguez; Regina A Shih; Rachana Seelam; Lisa Kraus; Michael S Dunbar; Joan S Tucker; Beau Kilmer; Elizabeth J D'Amico Journal: Am J Addict Date: 2020-12-30
Authors: Stephen E Lankenau; Loni Philip Tabb; Avat Kioumarsi; Janna Ataiants; Ellen Iverson; Carolyn F Wong Journal: Subst Use Misuse Date: 2019-06-03 Impact factor: 2.164