The Parabola Center for Law and Policy, a nonprofit of legal, public health, and policy professionals who focus on emerging industries, recently released the results of a study it conducted on cannabis consumer perspectives and experiences with adult-use cannabis legalization in various state-legal U.S. markets.

Colorado and Washington State became the first U.S. states to legalize adult use in 2012, with legal adult-use sales beginning in Colorado on January 1st, 2014, and in Washington later that year. Currently, two dozen states in the U.S. have adopted adult-use legalization, along with Washington D.C.

Since the start of state-level legalization in the U.S., cannabis opponents have worked nonstop to try to hinder the spread of adult-use cannabis policy modernization efforts, and even to reverse adult-use legalization where it has been adopted. A noteworthy example is in Massachusetts, where voters are set to decide in November on a measure that seeks to repeal legalization.

“There has been much speculation about cannabis consumers with Question 8 (repealing cannabis sales) on the ballot this November in Massachusetts. This study reports what happens when you actually ask them. The report examines perceived positive impacts, concerns, and recommendations gained from 37 in-depth interviews across nine states, the upper end of typical sample sizes in research of its type.” stated the Parabola Center in a press release.

“As we examined cannabis consumers’ perspectives, we found that participants demonstrated a nuanced understanding of legalization policies,” said Dr. Faith English, public health researcher at Parabola Center and postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. “We hope that by publishing these insights, we can encourage informed voting and policymaking that seeks to understand cannabis consumers rather than stereotyping them.”

“In-depth interviews allow us to capture important contextual information as well as experiences of smaller or underrepresented populations that might otherwise be missed by polls and other quantitative methods,” said Meredith McGee, MPH, who co-authored the study.

The Parabola Center study involved consumers being surveyed in the following states, all of which have allowed legal adult-use sales for at least 5 years:

• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Washington State

Below is a list of things that surveyed cannabis consumers considered to be the positive impacts of adult-use legalization:

• Reductions in arrests and incarceration for cannabis-related offenses
• Decreased stigma and increased normalization of cannabis use
• Increased safety and harm reduction
• Economic revitalization
• Increased access to both medical and adult-use dispensaries that have a wide variety of high-quality cannabis products

Conversely, below is a list of things that surveyed cannabis consumers considered to be the negative impacts of legalization:

• Overregulation of adult-use cannabis
• Tax revenue is not being invested in their communities as promised
• Concerns about problematic and underage cannabis use
• Concern about the increased presence of cannabis in public spaces

The survey also asked consumers what they think would improve legalization. Below are ideas offered up by participants:

• Greater transparency around policymaking and use of cannabis tax revenue
• Increased constituent involvement in policy implementation
• Reforms to protect small businesses
• Physical spaces for consumers to legally use cannabis

“While some of the perceived benefits and limitations of AU legalization described by participants is not supported by scientific research (e.g., there is little evidence of cannabis “laced” with LSD), this supports the overwhelming feedback from participants for clearer, more honest communication from the people making and studying these policies. Taken together, these accounts provide essential perspectives on the everyday experiences of people who live in states with established adult-use cannabis markets.” the researchers concluded.