In just two years, North Americans will spend more on recreational marijuana than they do on medical marijuana, according to a new report from Arcview Market Research.
The biggest reason for the shift is, obviously, the increasing number of states and regions that will likely legalize recreational use over the next few years. Business Insider notes that both Canada and California could full legalize marijuana as early as July 1, 2018, which would change the ways millions of North Americans think about and purchase cannabis.
“There’s huge growth in the user base when you stop requiring people to get medical recommendations … when you have stores selling edibles and concentrates, and not just the dealer around the corner selling bags of weed,” Tom Adams, editor in chief of Arcview Market Research, told Business Insider.
Adams said that the cannabis buying experience wouldn’t change dramatically for those who already use medical marijuana. “They go into the same stores — or even nicer or bigger stores, now that there are a lot more of them — and they just shop at the medical cash register,” he said.
The major difference, he said, will be in how the product is taxed. For instance, recreational weed will be taxed at a rate of 15 percent when it becomes legal in California. In Colorado, recreational users pay on average 15 to 20 percent more than medical patients do.
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