About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

43 J. Crime & Just. 1 (2020)

handle is hein.journals/jlcmadjc43 and id is 1 raw text is: JOURNAL OF CRIME AND JUSTICE outleae 2020, VOL. 43, NO. 1, 1-15 https://doi.org/10.1080/0735648X.2019.1582351 Taylor&Francis Group Cannabis in the capital: exploring the spatial association between medical marijuana dispensaries and crime William J. Zakrzewski Jr.a, Andrew P. Wheeler b and Andrew J. Thompsona aSchool of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY), Albany, NY, USA; 'School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences - Program in Criminology and Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY The legalization of medical marijuana remains a controversial policy. An Received 11 November 2018 important dimension of marijuana legalization is the siting of dispen- Accepted 15 January 2019 saries and their influence on a surrounding community. Specifically, KEYWORDS dispensaries, if they engender criminogenic opportunities via changes Micro places; crime; in routine activities, have the potential to increase crimes in the areas propensity score matching; surrounding medicinal marijuana dispensaries (MMDs). Using a quasi- medical marijuana experimental design, we examine the relationship between MMDs and dispensaries 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. Introduction In 1998, voters passed Initiative 59 in Washington, D.C., legalizing marijuana for medicinal use (Altieri 2013). The passage of the legislation, however, was stymied for over a decade by the Barr Amendment, which proscribed D.C. from using appropriated funds D.C. receives to legalize or reduce penalties for marijuana. In 2011, the Barr amendment was overturned, and in 2013, the first medical marijuana dispensaries were opened. Now, as a spate of states and D.C. have legalized marijuana in varying capacities, the effects of marijuana legalization foment controversy (Caulkins, Kilmer, and Kleiman 2016). Hudak (2014) characterized marijuana legalization as both a social and policy experiment. Some chief questions raised by marijuana legalization, for instance, include the effects legalization will have on property values, public health, traffic deaths, and crime (Bostwick 2012; Caulkins, Kilmer, and Kleiman 2016). Another salient issue pertaining to the debate of marijuana legalization is the impact of dispensaries themselves. Dispensaries may be difficult for city planners and local jurisdictions to locate due to citizen concerns about crime, property values, or other perceived costs of living near a 'deviant' business (Lofholm and Ingold 2011; Nemeth and Ross 2014). Consequently, like other CONTACT William J. Zakrzewski ebzakrzewski@albany.edu =JSchool of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY), 135 Western Ave. (Draper Hall 306), Albany, NY 12203, USA Data and code to replicate the findings can be obtained fromhttps://www.dropbox.com/s/3vt8hoow98r8jlh/DCMMDAnalysis.7z?dl=0 © 2019 Midwestern Criminal Justice Association

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most