Maine marijuana regulators say that the launch of an adult-use hashish market within the state has already exceeded expectations on the subject of driving down illicit gross sales.
The Workplace of Hashish Coverage (OCP) launched a report on Monday, primarily based on a first-ever survey of about 2,000 residents. Amongst its key takeaways is that offering adults with entry to licensed marijuana retailers is having the specified impression of undermining the illicit market.
With respect to past-month hashish customers, 64 % of respondents stated they obtained marijuana merchandise from licensed retailers. OCP stated that the “present illicit market has diminished greater than anticipated,” in comparison with different state hashish applications.
“We discovered an estimated general upshift within the regulated market between January of 2021 and November/December of 2021 of roughly 12 %,” the report, carried out by Advocates for Human Potential for the state, says. “Apparently, we discovered that those that prioritize their supply of hashish extremely and people who are youthful are extra probably to make use of adult-use shops for his or her hashish and to have shifted to adult-use shops from different sources since January of 2021.”
Authorized retail marijuana outlets launched in Maine in October 2020, and the state has since reported important gross sales.
“The findings on this report level to insurance policies and practices that promote and protect public well being and security, whereas permitting authorized companies to compete,” OCP Director Erik Gundersen said in a press launch. “The findings of this report function a wonderful baseline for us to measure the continued evolution of our applications.”
“We’re happy to launch this report that highlights the profitable launch of Maine’s grownup use market,” stated OCP’s Erik Gundersen. “The findings on this report level to insurance policies & practices that promote public well being and security, whereas permitting authorized companies to compete.” https://t.co/ENE1pYQgIK
— Maine Workplace of Hashish Coverage (@MaineOCP) June 13, 2022
“OCP strives to be a mannequin of fine governance for the hashish business,” he stated. “Along with persevering with analysis and producing stories like these, OCP will probably be conducting broader stakeholder outreach to empower business and group participation on this aim.”
A geographical evaluation of survey responses primarily based on zip codes additional discovered that individuals who lived nearer to a hashish store had been extra more likely to search out marijuana from the regulated market, relatively than run the dangers related to illicit transactions.
Moreover, the report says that individuals who bought their marijuana from licensed shops had been no extra more likely to have a hashish use dysfunction or drive whereas impaired. A related, latest examine discovered that individuals in states the place marijuana is authorized are much less more likely to report driving below the affect, which the authors urged could also be associated to public schooling efforts and labeling necessities that generally accompany hashish coverage adjustments.
“Make no mistake, the findings of this report present that the implementation of the grownup use market within the state of Maine could also be thought of an achievement in each public well being and hashish coverage,” Dr. Michael Sofis, principal investigator of the examine, stated.
Exterior of Maine, the governor of California lately unveiled an up to date funds proposal that requires the elimination of the state’s marijuana cultivation tax and revised hashish tax income allocations, largely to additional stamp out the illicit market.
A examine launched in 2020 discovered that native bans on marijuana companies in California are serving to the illicit market to thrive and are depriving the state and municipalities of tax income that would assist offset financial losses brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
As extra U.S. states transfer to legalize marijuana in some type—and neighboring Canada’s hashish market matures—demand for illicit marijuana from Mexico continues to drop, a lately up to date report from Congress’s analysis arm says.
Picture courtesy of WeedPornDaily.