Evaluating the Geography of Medical Cannabis Facilities on Crime, Price and Use

描述（由申请人提供）：1996年，加州是第一个通过《大麻使用法》的州，该法允许法律的将大麻用于医学或医疗目的。尽管大麻在治疗许多慢性疾病方面处于领先地位，但很少有系统的研究已经研究了这些药房的开放和关闭如何改变其所在社区的生态景观。当前的应用程序利用发生在洛杉矶和萨克拉门托城市的自然实验来评估这些药房的增长和随后的减少如何导致犯罪和大麻使用和依赖性在十三年期间的变化。拟议中的研究将研究这些药房的密度和位置、大麻和相关产品的价格以及多种情况下的犯罪之间的关系。此外，使用门户网站调查将使我们能够了解客户前往获取大麻的距离以及使用不同药房的客户类型。将对五个具体目标进行测试：（1）检查大麻药房的密度是否与暴力和财产犯罪率的增加有关;（2）检查大麻药房密度的变化是否与大麻依赖和滥用率的类似变化有关;（3）确定邻域特征是否（包括其他药房的位置和密度）与药房之间的价格差异有关;（4）调查在高密度地区是否存在与生态位理论一致的更大的顾客特征聚集;以及（5）确定医用大麻使用模式是否与医用大麻患者的总体健康水平和/或诊断相对应。 公共卫生相关性：本研究的目的是了解旨在降低大麻药房密度的法规如何影响犯罪和使用，并确定医用大麻使用者的类型是否在社区内的药房聚集，以及聚集是否在有许多药房的地区增加，导致问题增加。拟议研究的短期目标是提供关于使用药房的客户、药房本身的特点及其与犯罪和大麻滥用和依赖的关系的信息。长期目标是为社区提供具体的监管程序指导，以改善与大麻药房有关的社区问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In 1996, California was the first state to pass a Compassionate Use Act which allowed for the legal use of cannabis for medicinal or medical purposes. Despite leading the way for the use of cannabis in the treatment of many chronic disorders, little systematic research has been conducted that has examined how the opening and closing of these dispensaries change the ecological landscape of the neighborhoods in which they are located. The current application takes advantage of a natural experiment occurring in Los Angeles and Sacramento Cities to assess how both the growth of and subsequent reduction in these dispensaries has resulted in changes in crime and cannabis use and dependence over a thirteen-year period. The proposed research will examine the relationship between the density and location of these dispensaries, prices of marijuana and related products, and crime in multiple contexts. Further, use of portal surveys will enable us to understand the distance to which clients travel to obtain cannabis and the types of clients who use different dispensaries. Five specific aims will be tested: (1) Examine whether the density of cannabis dispensaries is related to increases in rates of violent and property crimes; (2) Examine whether the changing density of cannabis dispensaries is related to similar changes in rates of cannabis dependence and abuse; (3) Determine whether or not neighborhood characteristics (including location and density of other dispensaries) are related to price differences across dispensaries; (4) Investigate whether or not there is greater clustering by patron characteristics consistent with niche theory in high density areas; and (5) Determine whether or not patterns of medical cannabis use correspond to overall health levels and/or diagnosis of medical cannabis patients. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The aim of this study is to understand how regulations designed to reduce densities of cannabis dispensaries affects crime and use and to determine whether types of medical cannabis users cluster in dispensaries within communities, and whether clustering is increased in areas with many dispensaries, leading to increased problems. The short-term goal of the proposed research is to provide information about clients who use dispensaries, characteristics of the dispensaries themselves, and their relationship to crime and cannabis abuse and dependence. The long-term goal is to provide communities with specific guidance to regulatory processes that may ameliorate neighborhood problems related to cannabis dispensaries.