A new study by collaborators at Klein Buendel, Inc. and the Prevention Research Center finds that recreational cannabis stores in Colorado and Washington state, both of which legalized adult recreational use in 2012, show high levels of compliance with rules preventing underage purchase of cannabis. The study also shows that there is more than can be done to reach full compliance.
Between September 2016 and April 2017, 175 recreational cannabis stores in Colorado and Washington State were visited by "pseudo-buyers." The protocols were as follows:
The results show:
Says PIRE Co-Author Dr. Robert Saltz: "Compliance with laws restricting cannabis sales to individuals 21 or older with a valid ID was high and higher than we see for alcohol sales. Whether this reflects the newness of the industry or not will be determined by future compliance checks. Compliance in Washington state might be improved by having store personnel check IDs at the store entry."
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Source: Buller, David B., W. Gill Woodall, Robert Saltz, and Mary Klein Buller. "Compliance With Personal ID Regulations by Recreational Marijuana Stores in Two US States." Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 80, no. 6 (2019): 679-686.
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The Prevention Research Center (PRC) of PIRE is one of 16 centers sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), of the National Institutes of Health, and is the only one that specializes in prevention. PRC's focus is on conducting research to better understand the social and physical environments that influence individual behavior that lead to alcohol and drug misuse. http://www.prev.org
The Resource Link for Community Action provides information and practical guidance to state and community agencies and organizations, policy makers, and members of the public who are interested in combating alcohol and other drug abuse and misuse. https://prev.org/community-action/
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs