Cannabis tourism in the United States is a form of
drug tourism
Recreational drug tourism is travel for the purpose of obtaining or using drugs for recreational use that are unavailable, illegal or very expensive in one's home jurisdiction. A drug tourist may cross a national border to obtain a drug that is not ...
that exists in recreationally legal cannabis states. As of 2022 there are 21 states, Washington D.C. and Guam that have legalized recreational cannabis.
In 2014, the travel guide
Fodors
Fodor's is a publisher of English language travel and tourism information. Fodor's Travel and Fodors.com are divisions of Internet Brands.
History
Founder Eugene Fodor was a keen traveler, but felt that the guidebooks of his time were borin ...
published a "how to" for cannabis tourists in Washington state.
[ The official Washington tourism website has a FAQ section for cannabis tourism.][
In 2013, prior to legalization, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (now the ]Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, formerly the Washington State Liquor Control Board, is an administrative agency of the State of Washington. The Liquor and Cannabis Board is part of the executive branch and reports to the Governor. ...
) commissioned a study of cannabis legalization on the state, including the impact of tourism. The study, written by Carnegie Mellon University researchers, estimated over 400,000 new visits a year to the state.[ The Washington State legislature specifically considered tourism in its 2015 I-502 reform.][ One legal expert stated "Washington’s cannabis tourism industry is in jeopardy" as a result.]Airbnb
Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 b ...
include " 420 friendly" in descriptions for cannabis tourists, and cannabis tourism rental specialists have sprung up to meet demand.[ Some states like Illinois have provided an “on-premise” consumption license for dispensaries and any businesses that sell some form of cannabis, whether it be a dispensary, cannabis-infused restaurant or coffee shop like those commonly found in Amsterdam.
The actual impact of cannabis tourism is debated. Industry groups say it is significant, but state tourism officials in Washington said there is "fairly low amounts of consumer interest through our visitor information", and in Colorado "We still don't have any numbers that support that marijuana tourism exists".][ An ]NBC News
NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
report stated that Hotels.com
Hotels.com is a website for booking hotel rooms online and by telephone. The company has 85 websites in 34 languages, and lists over 325,000 hotels in approximately 19,000 locations. Its inventory includes hotels and B&Bs, and some condos and oth ...
bookings were up slightly after legalization in both states.[
]Manitou Springs
Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers ...
is a small town in El Paso County, Colorado
El Paso County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. The 2020 Census recorded its population as 730,395. The Census Bureau's 2020 result indicates it is the most populous county in Colorado, surpassing the City and County of De ...
. It is home to two recreational cannabis dispensaries,
Expansion
Tourism in Oregon was expected to begin in 2016 with legal retail availability for non-residents.
Expansion of cannabis tourism to Vermont,[ citing RAND] and to Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, California, has been discussed.
References
Books
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Further reading
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*{{citation, author=Kathleen Burke, work= MarketWatch, publisher=Dow Jones & Company, date=April 23, 2016, title=Marijuana tourism is a budding industry, url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/marijuana-tourism-is-a-budding-industry-2015-08-25
External links
Marijuana tourism
article collection at '' Huffington Post''
Marijuana in America - Colorado's pot rush
video clip collection at CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-is-cannabis-tourism_l_63026695e4b0f72c09d86293
Cannabis culture
Tourism in the United States
Cannabis in the United States
Recreational drug tourism