Increased Distance From Cannabis Retailers Associated With Reduction in Past 30-day Cannabis Use Among California Adolescents

Recent cannabis legalization in many US states and the subsequent increase in cannabis retailers have potentially increased adolescent access to cannabis. Using a statewide sample of California adolescents (N=1406), researchers modeled the association between self-reported past 30-day cannabis use and home address distance from the nearest licensed and unlicensed cannabis retailers. Model covariates included gender, age, ethnicity/race, neighborhood socioeconomic status index, and a perceived social norms scale.

• The average distance from a cannabis retailer was nine miles from any retailer, 10 miles from a licensed retailer, and seven miles from an unlicensed retailer.
• Every five-mile increase in distance was associated with a 4 percent reduction in past 30-day cannabis use (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.96) for any cannabis retailer and licensed retailers.
• Increased cannabis use was associated with being Black (IRR, 1.5) or “Other/Multiracial” (IRR, 1.7)—both compared with being White—being older in age (IRR, 1.2), and having higher scores on the perceived social norms scale (IRR, 1.5).
• When stratifying by race, the association was only significant among Hispanic/Latinx individuals, with a 9 percent reduction in past 30-day cannabis use for every five-mile increase in distance from the nearest retailer.

Comments: These results suggest that despite the 21-year age limit for cannabis sales, proximity to cannabis retailers may increase adolescent cannabis use, with a stronger effect among Hispanic/Latinx individuals. For clinicians, it is important to recognize that cannabis legalization, marketing, and zoning laws are among the environmental factors that contribute to risk for cannabis use and its associated health consequences among adolescents.

Brigid Adviento, MD, MPH* & Darius A. Rastegar, MD

* 2023–24 Rich Saitz Editorial Intern & Addiction Medicine Fellow, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

Reference: Albers L, Rogers CJ, Steinberg J, et al. Proximity to cannabis retailers and recent cannabis use among a diverse sample of California adolescents. Subst Use Misuse. 2024;59(5):643–650.