Residents overwhelmingly support a pot business opening in their neighborhood, but worry about kids having access
Seattle, Wash — Avvo, Inc., the web’s largest legal Q&A forum, directory and legal marketplace (http://www.avvo.com), today announced the results of a new survey of nearly 2,200 consumers from Colorado and Washington that reveals what they think about the legalization of recreational marijuana. Sixty-seven percent of Colorado and 71% of Washington residents support a legal marijuana business opening up in their neighborhood. Forty-three percent plan to make a marijuana purchase in the future, and 70% of them believe that, in the not-too-distant future, bringing pot to a dinner party will be as routine as a bottle of wine.
While Colorado and Washington residents are welcoming the businesses, they do have concerns: 43% are very worried about kids having greater access to marijuana, and 42% are very concerned about increased numbers of people driving under the influence of marijuana. Concerns about increased crime was a distant third at 26%.
“As the growing number of states with marijuana-legalization ballot initiatives indicates, pot is gaining social acceptance across a wide swath of demographics, even with shared concerns about kids having great access to the drug,” said Leigh McMillan, vice president of marketing & research, Avvo, Inc. “Somewhat akin to the social movement after the end of prohibition, legalized marijuana will likely follow a similar trajectory as cannabis becomes socially accepted and new businesses emerge.”
Other Survey Findings
- Even with increasing acceptance, smoking pot in front of the kids is still taboo: 89% of survey respondents would not consider it, including 75% of those who intend to purchase pot in the future.
- 38% of the pot smoking population has had, or has known someone who has had legal issues as a result of smoking pot.
- Whether or not it’s ease of procurement or perceived social stigma, 71% of survey respondents would consider using a private delivery service to purchase and receive legal marijuana.
About Avvo, Inc.
Avvo.com is the web’s largest legal marketplace for consumers and attorneys. In Avvo’s Q&A forum consumers can get free legal advice 24/7 from more than 175,000 participating lawyers, and Avvo’s directory provides comprehensive profiles, client reviews, peer endorsements and the industry-recognized Avvo Rating for more than 95 percent of all lawyers in the U.S. Avvo helps lawyers grow their business with Avvo Ignite, a cloud-based marketing platform and website solution designed specifically for attorneys. Founded in 2007, Avvo is privately held with funding from Benchmark Capital, Ignition Partners and DAG Ventures.
* An online survey of 2,167 consumers who used Avvo.com in the past year.