What Do We Know About Hot Pot Spots? Does Who Owns Matter?

This study examines how place management practices influence crime distribution at pot shops. We assess whether these practices explain the varying crime levels observed across different pot shops. Using data from Colorado Springs, Colorado, we apply a Poisson distribution to compare expected and actual crime distributions among pot shop owners. Multilevel Poisson regression models are then employed to quantify the extent to which crime variation can be attributed to ownership. Our results indicate that approximately 25% of the variance in crime is attributed to management practices. Importantly, even after controlling for environmental factors surrounding pot shops, place management remains significant. This research highlights the critical role of owners in implementing effective crime prevention strategies at pot shops.