The fear that dispensaries negatively affect the value of housing and boost crime has led to the denial of many licenses in the USA
For many years, those who opposed the legalization of marijuana have used the same arguments to oppose it. For these citizens who oppose legal marijuana, the fact of having cannabis dispensaries and marijuana retail stores promote the increase of delinquency, diminishes the value of the houses and promotes the abuse of marijuana among adolescents. Unfortunately, and although marijuana has been legalized, these arguments have prevailed.
The creation of a cannabis dispensary in the United States requires the approval of a local official. One of the biggest fears of the neighbors is the possibility that the presence of a dispensary in the neighborhood may mean the devaluation of the price of their homes and that the number of crimes committed will increase, which would have a very negative effect on the price of the homes.
The neighbors are afraid that the presence of a dispensary in their neighborhood will result in an increase in crime, the devaluation of house prices and, above all, the fact that children have easier access to marijuana. . These fears have resulted in fewer dispensaries obtaining licenses in several states and towns. In fact, in some zones they are completely forbidden.
However, a study has been carried out that shows that the neighbors’ fears do not have a solid base. The study has been conducted by the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research.
This study seeks to investigate whether the creation of cannabis dispensaries has affected the levels of local crime and marijuana abuse. The reality is that no evidence has been found that dispensaries have an impact on the increase in crime. In fact, it has been shown that there has been a reduction in crimes against property.
Indeed, the research reinforces the conclusions of other studies that have failed to find a relationship between dispensaries and this type of crime. People were afraid of increased crimes against property, especially in the same dispensaries, since they have a large amount of cash and that can attract the enemies of others.
On the contrary, studies have shown that the closures of some dispensaries have increased the levels of crimes against property. This has been seen very clearly in the city of Los Angeles, where it has been shown that the temporary closures of some dispensaries and marijuana retailer stores have had a negative impact on crime.
The study is based on other previous studies that had not received enough attention. The researchers relied on more than 100 investigations. After a thorough review of these 100 studies, the results were based on the conclusions of the 42 that had conducted a more in-depth investigation of the true impact of dispensaries in the neighborhoods.
The impact of the creation of medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries on housing prices in Denver, Colorado, has been investigated. It has been shown that the creation of a dispensary based on density of population, increases the prices of homes by 7.7 percent. On the other hand, the houses farthest from the clinics have not experienced this price increase effect. In short, it is another way to demonstrate the economic benefits of legalizing marijuana.
After completing the study, the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Research of Marijuana concluded that the fears of the neighbors had no real basis, as could be deduced from the statistics of recent years. These were the main conclusions of the Institute.
– Crime rates have remained the same and in some neighborhoods they have decreased.
– The value of homes has increased.
– The consumption of marijuana among teenagers has not not risen but has even decreased.
The participants in the study have compiled all their conclusions in a report called “Debunking Marijuana Myths” (dismantling the myths about marijuana). The idea is to send this study to all the officials, to the legal advisors, to the activist groups, to the researchers from all over the country and to the different sectors of the cannabis industry.
The report is devastating for the cannabis industry. Fear of dispensaries has caused 75 percent of jurisdictions to prohibit marijuana in California. In Nevada, 75 percent of counties and more than 40 percent of cities have banned the creation of cannabis stores.
The consequence is obvious: the illegal marijuana market continues to work in many cities and counties after the legalization of marijuana. Most of the counties that prohibit dispensaries are located in suburban areas and in small rural cities.
The report assures that the fear of dispensaries is based on false information accumulated during 80 years of prohibition and lack of transparency of the government during the war on drugs.
On the other hand, the law obliges dispensaries to be 5 kilometers away from schools. Statistics have shown that since the legalization and the creation of dispensaries and retail stores of marijuana, there has been no increase in the use of this substance by adolescents.
Members of the cannabis industry recommend that citizens and government officials read this report to dismantle so many false myths. They also recommend remembering that the legalization of marijuana was a democratic act of the American people. If after legalizing marijuana some municipalities and neighborhoods prohibit the creation of dispensaries, why was a vote made? So many false myths remain a major obstacle to the development of the cannabis industry in the United States.
