Do medical marijuana centers behave like locally undesirable land uses? Implications for the geography of health and environmental justice

Abstract

As of 2013, medical marijuana is legal in 20 states and the District of Columbia, but few studies have investigated the consequences of the retail centers that sell the drug. We draw upon the social construction literature to frame our research and help us determine whether medical marijuana centers in Denver, Colorado (USA) are considered locally undesirable land uses (LULUs). The geography of health and environmental justice frameworks lead us to hypothesize that marijuana centers are more likely to be opened in Hispanic, Black, and poor neighborhoods than in White and affluent neighborhoods. We also hypothesize that marijuana centers will tend to increase the minority composition and poverty of the neighborhoods in which they are located.Contrary to expectations we find no empirical support for these two hypotheses. Instead, results suggest marijuana centers are likely to be situated in neighborhoods with higher crime rates and more retail employment. Thus, despite the view by many planners and law enforcement officials that these centers are problematic, they do not take on LULU characteristics in siting and demographic changes. This finding, while limited to Denver, has important implications for policymakers who are considering similar marijuana policies.

The impacts of marijuana dispensary density and neighborhood ecology on marijuana abuse and dependence

“…It is possible that marijuana dispensaries are more likely to locate in socially disorganized neighborhoods with higher underlying rates of marijuana use and abuse, or that the presence of these dispensaries increases local use, or perhaps both. Previous research suggests that some indicators of disorganization are related to locations of dispensaries (Boggess et al, 2014; Morrison et al, 2014) but more work is needed to fully understand this relationship.…”

“…Store-front dispensaries in Denver, Colorado tend to be located in neighborhoods with higher crime rates and a higher proportion of retail jobs (Boggess et al, 2014). In California, dispensaries were located in Census block groups with higher levels of marijuana use, lower median household incomes, higher percentages of male residents, and lower percentages of Asian American residents and residents aged 30 to 39 years (Morrison et al, 2014).…”

Contact High: The External Effects of Retail Marijuana Establishments on House Prices

“…, Boggess et al . ). But in a parallel study, Cheng, Mayer and Mayer () explore the effect of retail marijuana legalization in Colorado on house prices at the municipality level.…”

A micro-temporal geospatial analysis of medical marijuana dispensaries and crime in Long Beach, California

“…Suitable targets may be the dispensaries or patients who use dispensaries who may be carrying large amounts of cash before the purchase and marijuana products after their purchase. Because it appears that dispensaries are located in higher poverty areas [8] and areas with a higher percentage of retail employment [9], both aspects of neighborhoods indicative of low guardianship, crimes may be more likely to occur in these areas. Crime also occurs around high activity nodes based on the travel patterns of offending populations or along edges of neighborhood areas as they transition from commercial to residential [10,11].…”