Living Near More Dispensaries Increases Young Adult Cannabis Use | Research

The takeaway

Each additional cannabis dispensary within one mile of home was associated with a 5-6% increased risk of cannabis use among young adults in California, with similar findings whether using government or web-scraped dispensary data.

City planners, zoning officials, cannabis licensing boards, public health researchers, and policy makers setting dispensary regulations.

What the researchers found

Each additional dispensary within 1 mile of home increased past 6-month cannabis use risk by 5-6% (registry data) or 3-4% (web-scraped data), with positive associations for smoked and edible use frequency, but not consistently for vaping frequency or daily use.

Why it matters

As cities and states decide where to allow dispensaries, this study provides evidence that dispensary density directly increases cannabis use among nearby young adults — relevant for zoning and licensing decisions.

The numbers in context

N=2,277; 3 waves (2021-2023); 5-6% increased risk per dispensary (registry); 3-4% (web-scraped); smoked IRR=1.08 (registry), 1.04 (web-scraped); edible IRR=1.07/1.04; not significant for daily/near-daily use

How the study worked

Prospective cohort of 2,277 young adults (mean age 22) from California with three waves of data (2021-2023), comparing generalized linear models using government-maintained licensed dispensary registry vs. web-scraped list including unlicensed dispensaries.

What this study cannot tell us

California-specific sample; observational despite longitudinal design; 1-mile radius may not capture all access patterns; web-scraped data captures unlicensed shops but may be incomplete; confounders related to neighborhood self-selection.

How to read the evidence

Prospective cohort with repeated measures and dual data source comparison strengthens findings, though observational design limits causal conclusions.

When this study was published

Published 2026; covers 2021-2023 California data.

The bigger picture

Dispensary proximity matters for cannabis use patterns, but the effect is on initiation and frequency rather than escalation to daily use — suggesting access increases casual use more than problematic use.

Questions still open

Would limiting dispensary density reduce youth cannabis use? Do the effects differ for medical vs. recreational dispensaries? Is there a saturation point beyond which additional dispensaries have no incremental effect?

Common questions

Do more dispensaries mean more cannabis use?

Yes — this California study found that each additional dispensary within 1 mile of a young adult's home increased their risk of cannabis use by 5-6%, particularly for smoking and edible consumption.

Does living near dispensaries lead to daily cannabis use?

Not necessarily — while dispensary proximity increased the likelihood of any cannabis use and use frequency, it was not consistently associated with daily or near-daily use.

Read the original research

Cannabis dispensary exposure and smoked, vaped and edible cannabis use among young adults: Comparison of web-scraped and government-maintained registries.

Addiction (Abingdon, England)

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Harlow, Alyssa F; Williams, Michael P; Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo; Leventhal, Adam M; Pedersen, Eric R; Cockburn, Myles G; Thompson, Laura K; Cho, Junhan; Barrington-Trimis, Jessica L; Haley, Danielle F. (2026). Cannabis dispensary exposure and smoked, vaped and edible cannabis use among young adults: Comparison of web-scraped and government-maintained registries.. Addiction (Abingdon, England). https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70356