Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul;116(7):1908-1913.
doi: 10.1111/add.15420. Epub 2021 Feb 10.

Availability of medical cannabis dispensaries and cannabis abuse/dependence-related hospitalizations in California

Christina Mair  1 , Natalie Sumetsky  1 , Christiana Kranich  2 , Bridget Freisthler  2
Affiliations

Availability of medical cannabis dispensaries and cannabis abuse/dependence-related hospitalizations in California

Christina Mair et al. Addiction. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Aims: To estimate associations between both current- and prior-year medical cannabis dispensary densities and hospitalizations for cannabis use disorder in California, USA between 2013 and 2016.

Design: Spatial analysis of ZIP code-level hospitalization discharge data using Bayesian Poisson hierarchical space-time models over 4 years.

Setting and cases: California, USA from 2013 to 2016 (6832 space-time ZIP code units).

Measurements: We assessed associations of annual hospitalizations for cannabis use disorder [assignment of a primary or secondary code for cannabis abuse and/or dependence using ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM (outcome)] with the total number of medical cannabis dispensaries per square mile in a ZIP code as well as dispensary temporal and spatial lags (primary exposures). Other exposure covariates included alcohol outlet densities, manual labor and retail sales densities and ZIP code-level economic and demographic conditions.

Findings: One additional dispensary per square mile was associated with a median risk ratio of 1.021 (95% credible interval 1.001, 1.041). Prior-year dispensary density did not appear to be associated with hospitalizations (median risk ratio = 1.006, 95% CrI = 0.986, 1.026). Higher median household income, higher unemployment, greater off-premises alcohol outlet density and lower on-premises alcohol outlet density and poverty were all associated with decreased ZIP code-level risk of cannabis abuse/dependence hospitalizations.

Conclusions: In California, USA, the increasing density of medical cannabis dispensaries appears to be positively associated with same-year but not next-year hospitalizations for cannabis use disorder.

Keywords: Cannabis abuse; cannabis dependence; cannabis use disorder; hospital discharge data; medical cannabis dispensaries; spatial analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Cerdá M, Wall M, Keyes KM, Galea S, Hasin D. Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: Investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2012;120(1):22–27. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Freisthler B, Gruenewald PJ. Examining the relationship between the physical availability of medical marijuana and marijuana use across fifty California cities. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2014;143:244–250. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Harper S, Strumpf EC, Kaufman JS. Do medical marijuana laws increase marijuana use? Replication study and extension. Annals of Epidemiology. 2012;22(3):207–212. - PubMed
    1. Pacula RL, Powell D, Heaton P, Sevigny EL. Assessing the effects of medical marijuana laws on marijuana use: The devil is in the details. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 2015;34(1):7–31. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wall MM, Poh E, Cerdá M, Keyes KM, Galea S, Hasin DS. Adolescent marijuana use from 2002 to 2008: Higher in states with medical marijuana laws, cause still unclear. Annals of Epidemiology. 2011;21(9):714–716. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances