“I would say that the rollout was extremely smooth, the sky hasn't fallen like some had
predicted, and we're moving forward and trying to fine tune this regulatory model.”
— Ron Kammerzell, deputy senior director of enforcement for the Colorado
Department of Revenue, the marijuana regulatory agency
In November 2012, Colorado and Washington state voters replaced marijuana prohibition
with legalization and regulation for adults over 21. Legal sales began in 2014. The states’
economies have prospered, tens of thousands of jobs have been created, and millions of
dollars in tax revenue has been generated. Meanwhile, public safety has not suffered.
Oregon and Alaska voters followed suit in 2014. Because those laws are newer, with fully
regulated retailers not yet up and running, this focuses on data from the first two states.
Crime
• In Colorado, marijuana cases filed in state courts plummeted 77% between 2012 and 2013. Petty marijuana possession charges also fell 81%.
• In 2013 in Washington, 120 misdemeanor cases were filed, which is down from 5,531
cases in 2012, freeing up law enforcement time to focus on serious crime.
• From 2011 to 2014 in Washington, violent crime fell 10% and the murder rate fell
13%
• From 2012 to 2014, overall crime rates remained virtually unchanged in Colorado.
Denver saw a slight uptick in crime in 2015, but even opponents of legalization point
out that it is unlikely that marijuana is the cause of this increase.
Taxes
• In 2015, Colorado collected over $135 million in fees and taxes from marijuana
businesses, including $35 million that was earmarked for school construction.
• Washington generated more than $210 million in excise taxes in the past year and a
half.
Jobs
• As of December 2015, 26,929 occupational licenses were issued for jobs created
directly by Colorado’s marijuana industry.
• Collateral sector workers retained by marijuana businesses include: Lawyers,
accountants, construction workers, landlords, advertisers, consultants, security,
insurance, transportation, and indoor growing-supply equipment providers.
Teens’ Marijuana Use
• According to the most comprehensive study on teen marijuana use in Colorado, teen
marijuana use has not risen since marijuana became legal in 2012: It dropped within
the margin of error from 22% in 2011 to 21.2% in 2015.
• The most in-depth state surveys suggest modest decreases in 8th and 10th graders’
current marijuana use in Washington, with 12th graders’ use rates unchanged.
Tourism
• In Denver, 15.4 million tourists spent an all-time high of $4.6 billion in 2014 — the first
year of legal marijuana sales — which was more than double the national average.
• Colorado ski resorts enjoyed a record number of visitors in 2013-2014. In 2014-2015,
resorts had just 1% fewer visitors despite much less snow but raised record revenue.10
• A study commissioned by the state Tourism Office found marijuana to be a major
motivator for vacations in Colorado. Surveys found that the state’s marijuana laws
influenced decisions to vacation in Colorado 49% of the time.
Real Estate and Quality of Life
• In 2016, U.S. News & World Report ranked Denver the best place to live in the nation.
• Home prices rose the fastest in the country in the only three states where marijuana is
being legally sold to adults — Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. In all three states,
data from CoreLogic showed price increases exceeding 10% since the previous year.
• In 2013, Denver attracted more sales of single-family homes than during the housing
boom and is ranked among the top commercial real estate markets to watch.
Economy
• Business Insider ranked Washington as the #1 fastest-growing economy among U.S.
states, with D.C. (where adults’ use of marijuana is legal) #2 and Colorado #3
As it noted, Washington’s second quarter annualized GDP was “a stunning 8.0%, by far the
highest among the states and D.C.” Its average weekly wage was the second highest in
the country and 5.6% higher than in November 2014.