Cannabis Tourism and The U.S. Market
United States cannabis tourism: how cannabis tourism can help the US market
In the same week that cannabis businesses in Colorado and Washington state opened their doors to customers, a new report claims that cannabis tourism is already taking off in the United States.
“Cannabis tourism is already having a big impact on the marijuana industry, and the benefits to the business owners and consumers are clear,” says Jonathan Caulkins, an expert on drug policy and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Public Policy. “These companies are not going to grow without this market to support them, and they can use that market to their advantage.”
Caulkins says that this new market can provide businesses with a major boost to their bottom line.
“Cannabis tourism is providing businesses with new and unique ways to market their product,” Caulkins said in a statement. “Cannabis is growing in popularity because of its medicinal properties and it is for some a better alternative to drinking alcohol. On one hand, that’s great news for those of us who want to get high legally. On the other, it’s not really news at all. What really makes it interesting is that there’s nothing particularly surprising about it. The marijuana business is, for all intents and purposes, a money-making proposition.
It’s not hard to see why. The market is estimated to be worth anywhere from $3 billion to $6 billion, with an estimated $40 million to $60 million in sales in 2014. Marijuana legalization in two states and recreational sales in five states has boosted those numbers to a lot more than it was anticipated to generate. And, while it’s impossible to know exactly how much money the industry is earning, one thing is clear: Marijuana has long been a money-maker for states that are willing to play ball with its federal illegality.
When the law went into effect in , we asked several cannabis tourism operators for their impressions. The reaction of each was the same: Some people were happy to talk to me and several said they weren’t at all scared. Others told me the law was “not a big deal,” but were also bit nervous.
What were the biggest fears they had?
“The biggest fear is the law enforcement going to the dispensaries, cannabis tours and other places with recreational cannabis and getting names, addresses and everything else, and then finding other places to look for illegal drugs,” said Tim, a cannabis tour operator and grower who lives in the state of Colorado since 1991.
“We want to have safe for the cannabis tourist to come and enjoy themselves, and we don’t want anyone getting in trouble with the law,” he said. “Our primary concern is that people know where we are, who we are, and the quality of the product that is here for them”
So cannabis tourism is a steady growing business and will continue to grow in the next decade and we will be here to tell you all about the ins and outs of cannabis tourism.
