Abstract

With the recent introduction of recreational marijuana retail stores throughout the United States and other jurisdictions, research is warranted on whether responsible sales practices are implemented. We assessed store practices/policies in the first two US states to legalize recreational marijuana, Colorado and Washington. We surveyed a random sample of store managers (25 per state) and observed store practices in the largest city in each state (22 in Denver; 24 in Seattle). We analyzed many practices/policies with a focus on underage access (<age 21) to marijuana. Most stores in both states reported that a manager is present at all times and that employee marijuana use on premises is prohibited. All Colorado stores reported they always check age identification compared to 60% in Washington (p < 0.01). All Denver stores we observed checked age identification compared to 83% in Seattle (p < 0.01). All stores in both cities sold a variety of products including candy, concentrates, and vaping devices. We conclude that stores in both states had fairly strict underage access practices but Colorado stores were somewhat stricter. Many products available are likely to be attractive to underage youth such as candy and vaping devices. Our results can help guide jurisdictions in adopting responsible marijuana retail policies/practices.

摘要

随着最近在美国和其他司法管辖区引入休闲大麻零售店，有必要研究是否实施了负责任的销售做法。我们评估了美国前两个州的商店做法/政策，以将休闲大麻、科罗拉多州和华盛顿州合法化。我们随机抽样调查了商店经理（每个州 25 名），并观察了每个州最大城市（丹佛 22 名；西雅图 24 名）的商店做法。我们分析了许多做法/政策，重点是未成年人（<21 岁）吸食大麻。两个州的大多数商店都报告说，经理始终在场，并且禁止员工在场所内吸食大麻。科罗拉多州的所有商店都报告说他们总是检查年龄识别，而华盛顿的这一比例为 60%（p < 0.01)。与西雅图的 83% 相比，我们观察到的所有丹佛商店都检查了年龄识别 ( p  < 0.01)。这两个城市的所有商店都出售各种产品，包括糖果、浓缩物和电子烟设备。我们得出的结论是，这两个州的商店都有相当严格的未成年人准入措施，但科罗拉多州的商店稍微严格一些。许多可用的产品可能对未成年人有吸引力，例如糖果和电子烟设备。我们的结果可以帮助指导司法管辖区采用负责任的大麻零售政策/做法。