Let's say we believe the statistic, 2:1 pot vs mcdonalds; Here is why this is a bad statistic: the comparison is between one type of store, and one particular store; If the intention of the statistic is to make you believe that pot is more popular than hamburgers, or coffee, that's a gross mistake.
The best census tool I have is google, however provided that the blog lacked any numbers beyond a ratio, anything I give should be accepted at least on par with the standard of quality for evidence
let's have a crack at it...
in google maps, taking the focal point of LA, CA and doing a business search for Mcdonalds yeilds just shy of 6k hits, (n= 5,830) Starbucks yeilds just over 6k hits (n=6061). I think it's safe to assume that these searches provide a reliable basis for the number of Starbucks or McDonalds in the area. I think, it is also reasonable to conclude that we will not be able to confirm the number of dispensaries in a similar fashion. However, this is not a problem because we assume the postulation that dispensaries out number McDonalds or Starbucks 2:1 as true. With both being around the 6k mark, let's say there are 12K dispensaries.
a meaningful comparison in my eyes would be between the same class of things -- dispensaries vs fast food
under the same search method, the results for LA,CA "fast food" yields just over 135k hits (n=135,728)
135k :12K reduced is 11.25:1, that is to say there are 11.25 fast food restaurants for every 1 dispensary. hardly a remarkable statistic, and much more telling about what we are addicted to.
