Marijuana in the City of Angels: A Spatial Analysis of the Geographical Distribution of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in the City of Los Angeles

ABSTRACT Marijuana in the City of Angels: A spatial analysis of the geographical distribution of medical marijuana dispensaries in the City of Los Angeles The people of the state of California passed the Compassionate Use Act, Proposition 215, in 1996 (Reinarman, Nunberg, Lanthier, and, Heddleston, 2011). This law permits doctors to recommend medical marijuana to patients who might seek alternative treatments for complications from serious diseases or for medical conditions that can be relieved with medical marijuana (ibid). The City Council of Los Angeles voted in July 2012 to ban marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles; however, the ban was repealed in October 2012 after much furor from medical marijuana advocates (LA Times, October 2, 2012). Today, medical marijuana dispensaries (MMD) are open for business in the City of Los Angeles and other cities in California. This research analyzed the geographical distribution of dispensaries in the city of Los Angeles. The city of Los Angeles encompasses a large geographical area in Los Angeles County and is home to a diverse racial and socio-economic population. This research found that medical marijuana dispensaries are not densely located in low-income black neighborhoods; white race, Hispanic ethnicity, and median household income are statistically significant independent variables