Neighborhood Context and the Density of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Background and Purpose: In 1996, California passed Proposition 215, also known as the Compassionate Care Act, which allowed for the production, distribution and cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes. Subsequently, medical marijuana dispensaries began to open in the greater Los Angeles area with the intent to distribute medical cannabis to qualifying patients. However, questions remain regarding the effect dispensaries may have on communities, particularly if sites are disproportionately located in minority or youth communities, evoking concerns related to environmental justice (i.e.the effort to reduce the negative impact of health risks on marginalized communities). Greater medical marijuana availability in demographically minority and younger neighborhoods may mean these community members are disproportionally exposed to problems related to marijuana availability. Frequently cited community concerns include public safety, high levels of traffic, loitering, and vandalism. As suggested by niche marketing theory, marijuana dispensaries may be intentionally placed in certain vulnerable communities for distinct marketing purposes designed to increase use of marijuana within the communities they are located or minimize effects related to NIMBYism. This analysis attempts to assess if there is a relationship between medical marijuana dispensaries and various neighborhood sociodemographic variables including race, an index of concentrated disadvantage, and youth-aged population in order to further explore the validity of these concerns.

Methods: An ecological, cross-sectional design was implemented to explore the relationship between neighborhood demographics and density of medical marijuana dispensaries, as measured by number of dispensaries per square mile. All Census tracts that were within Los Angeles City boundaries were used to identify the current sample (n = 998). Medical marijuana dispensaries were aggregated to 2010 Census tracts. Geolytics data from 2012 provided demographic information on race, concentrated disadvantage and youth population variables. Bayesian conditionally autoregressive models that include controls for spatial heterogeneity were used to analyze the data.

Results: Areas with higher population density have more dispensaries per square mile. Additionally, higher levels of concentrated disadvantage are associated with greater density of dispensaries. There is a negative relationship between percentage of young people and density of dispensaries. However, there is no relationship between percent Black, percent Asian, nor percent Hispanic and density of medical marijuana dispensaries.

Conclusions and Implications: Medical marijuana dispensaries do not appear to be overly represented in minority neighborhoods or neighborhoods with high percentages of young adults.  However, density of dispensaries is associated with concentrated disadvantage suggesting that these residents are exposed to greater amounts of medical marijuana dispensaries resulting in greater exposure to community concerns such as higher overall rates of use and abuse, exposure to patrons smoking in and around dispensary parking lots, and prevention of other businesses from opening nearby creating a loss of commercial revenue, among others. Policy efforts might consider zoning restrictions to prevent disproportionate number of dispensaries in disadvantaged neighborhoods.  Community organizers can work with disadvantaged communities to mobilize against locations of dispensaries in their neighborhoods.