Denver, CO: Employees at licensed cannabis retailers strictly enforce the state’s minimum age requirements and nearly always deny entry to those without proper identification, according to data provided by state regulators.
Annual data provided by Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division finds that retailers denied entry 99 percent of the time to patrons lacking proper proof of age. That result is consistent with data from other adult-use states, including California and Washington, finding that state-licensed cannabis retailers are more likely than alcohol proprietors to deny those without proper ID entry to their facilities.
Commenting on the findings, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “Regulation works. Illicit marijuana providers don’t ask for or check for ID, but licensed businesses most certainly do. States’ real-world experience with adult-use marijuana legalization affirms that it is being implemented in a way that provides regulated access for adults while simultaneously limiting youth access and misuse.”
Federally funded survey data compiled by the University of Michigan in December reports that marijuana use by adolescents has fallen dramatically since states began regulating adult-use cannabis markets and now stands at or near historic lows.
Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Societal Impacts of Cannabis Dispensaries/Retailers.’