Cannabis in the capital: exploring the spatial association between medical marijuana dispensaries and crime

The legalization of medical marijuana remains a controversial policy. An important dimension of marijuana legalization is the siting of dispensaries and their influence on a surrounding community. Specifically, dispensaries, if they engender criminogenic opportunities via changes in routine activiti...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Zakrzewski, Willliam J.Jr. (Author) ; Wheeler, Andrew P. (Author) ; Thompson, Andrew J. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: Journal of crime and justice
Year: 2020, Volume: 43, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-15
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
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Summary:The legalization of medical marijuana remains a controversial policy. An important dimension of marijuana legalization is the siting of dispensaries and their influence on a surrounding community. Specifically, dispensaries, if they engender criminogenic opportunities via changes in routine activities, have the potential to increase crimes in the areas surrounding medicinal marijuana dispensaries (MMDs). Using a quasi-experimental design, we examine the relationship between MMDs and crime using micro-spatial units in a novel location. Street level geocoded crime data for violent and nonviolent crime patterns before and after the opening of MMD’s in Washington, D.C. Crime is analyzed with 100 m buffers around each dispensary and control location drawn from propensity score matching. Differences between crime rates pre- and postoperation are compared. With the exception of one location, crime decreased or remained constant in geographical areas following the opening of a dispensary. MMDs do not appear to have an immediate criminogenic effect. Implications for future research regarding potential confounding factors and data limitations are discussed.
ISSN:2158-9119
DOI:10.1080/0735648X.2019.1582351