Resources

LegalizePA Fact Sheet

It’s Time for a Sensible Approach to Cannabis

Obstacles to State-Run Cannabis Stores

Legalization and Public Health

Regulating Cannabis and Protecting Youth

Cannabis Tax Revenue in States that Legalized Cannabis

Legalizing cannabis for adults has been a wise investment. Since 2014 when sales began in Colorado and Washington, legalization policies have provided states a new revenue stream to bolster budgets and fund important services and programs. Through the first quarter of 2024, states have reported a combined total of more than $20 billion in tax revenue from legal, adult-use cannabis sales. In 2023 alone, legalization states generated more than $4 billion in cannabis tax revenue from adult-use sales, which is the most revenue generated by cannabis sales in a single year. In addition to revenue generated for statewide budgets, cities, and towns have also generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in new revenue from local adult-use cannabis taxes.

Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Corresponds With a Drop In Teen Use

Study after study has found that cannabis policy reforms are not linked to increased rates of marijuana use among adolescents. The Journal of the American Medical Association published a major report analyzing data from more than 1.4 million high school students through 2019.2 The researchers found "no significant associations between enactment of RMLs ["recreational" marijuana legalization laws] or MMLs [medical marijuana laws] and marijuana use among high school students."