New York cannabis is in a flux state. Legislators and law enforcement are working together to identify and close unlicensed cannabis shops. Meanwhile, licensed players fight for a market share. A recent NuggMD poll shows that most cannabis consumers buy legal weed.
“While the adult-use and medical markets are not perfect, this new poll suggests that they are working. By relying on legal marketplaces instead of alternatives that may be more convenient, consumers are doing their part to help the movement fight for sensible drug policy while creating honest, well-paying jobs,” said Deb Tharp, head of legal and policy research at NuggMD.
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NuggMD sent questions to opt-in respondents and received 473 answers from the 35M estimated cannabis consumers. Half of those who responded used cannabis exclusively for medical reasons, while the others considered their consumption recreational. Most of those who answered consume cannabis daily. NuggMD warns that the answers will likely fall into the medical or daily-consumer category.
Because of this, the data collected by the flash poll is a good representation of how regular cannabis consumers feel and act. The data shows that this crowd buys most of their weed from licensed weed shops, and almost 100 percent know the difference between regulated and unregulated stores.
Of those who responded, 65 percent purchase cannabis from licensed stores, and 96 percent are positive they know a legal shop from an illicit one. The rest of the responding patients and stoners purchased “most” (12 percent), half (seven percent), less than half (four percent), or none of it (six percent) from licensed stores. The final four percent were unsure how to tell if a shop was unlicensed.
The story is echoed in Canada, where the country released data on consumer trends over the last six years of federal legalization. 73 percent of Canadian consumers who answered that survey bought weed from legal stores.
These datasets from cannabis lovers around the U.S. show that legalization does lead to fewer illicit sales. States like New York, with droves of unlicensed shops operating, might take longer. Although recent press gatherings show that concerted efforts to close operators have bolstered the licensed stores. As more states enact reform, the mounting proof that legalization ends illicit sales will only grow.
