Medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles: Access and service among young adults

Density of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Current Marijuana Use among Young Adult Marijuana Users in Los Angeles

“…This suggests that having the ability to drive to dispensaries outside one's neighborhood did not result in greater days of use. Related, rather than choosing a dispensary based upon geographic proximity, MMP more often decide to patronize a medical marijuana dispensary based upon factors such as knowledgeable staff, price, and quality (Kioumarsi et al 2018). Furthermore, other research on MMP in Los Angeles report that patients often travel to dispensaries outside of their neighborhood or community (Cooke, Freisthler, & Mulholland, 2018).…”

“…Research to date on density of medical marijuana dispensaries and marijuana consumption indicates mixed results. For instance, a statewide survey of California adult residents identified a positive association between city-level density of storefront dispensaries and prevalence and frequency of past year marijuana use, and that young adults (aged [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] were more likely to be current and frequent marijuana users than older adults (Freisthler & Gruenewald, 2014). In contrast, a study of adolescents from 18 states with legalized medical marijuana found no relationship between current or recent marijuana use and proximity of marijuana dispensaries to schools (Shi, 2016).…”