Recent Poll Data Shows More Americans Think Cannabis is Better for People Than Alcohol
A recent Gallup poll shows that more than twice the number of Americans feel that marijuana is more positive for individuals and society than alcohol. Specifically, 53 percent of those polled said that marijuana has a positive impact on the individual user and 49 percent said that it is good for society overall. Interestingly, of those who have used cannabis and alcohol, marijuana consumers are more likely to feel it is a positive as opposed to only a small percentage of alcohol drinkers who think that it is good. Only 27 percent of respondents thought alcohol had a positive effect on the consumer and 23 percent felt that alcohol was positive for society.
Recreational Marijuana Sales in NJ Reach $80 Million
Adult-use cannabis sales in New Jersey launched on April 21st of this year. The state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) announced that from the launch date until June 30th, cannabis consumers spent $80 million on recreational cannabis products. From these sales, the state collected $4.6 million in tax revenue. Sales totaled almost $1.9 million the day the market opened. There are currently 18 dispensaries throughout the state where consumers can legally purchase adult-use cannabis. These are dispensaries that also service medical marijuana patients. The CRC has awarded 140 conditional licenses for legal marijuana dispensaries, but none have opened yet.
California’s Provisional Licensing Program to End
In June, California’s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) approved 529 provisional licenses for cultivators, retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and delivery businesses. This is the last batch of provisional licenses that the department will approve. The provisional license program was intended to give businesses a way to become a part of the state-legal market and maintain compliance while they apply for and await more permanent annual licenses. Now that the program has ended, officials expect that the barrier to entry for California’s market is raised as annual licenses are more difficult to obtain than provisional ones. Regulators must now transition approximately 8,300 provisional permits to annual licenses by January 2026.
