Support for Cannabis Tourism: A Tale of Two States

Abstract

The cannabis tourism market has seen tremendous growth in recent years. However, research activities by academic scholars and industry professionals have barely scratched the surface to explore this emerging tourism segment. This study addresses the gap by comparing resident perceptions on cannabis tourism in two states, Colorado and Oregon. A quantitative survey was distributed to Colorado (n = 254) and Oregon (n = 165) residents. Results of the study revealed that the respondents in each state appear to have different views on perceived impact from, benefit of, and support level for cannabis tourism. Overall, Colorado residents' attachment was higher than Oregon respondents. Additionally, Colorado residents showed that if they had a higher place identity, they were less likely to perceive negative impacts. In a similar context, the study results also confirmed that there was a stronger causal relationship between respondents' perceived impact and support for cannabis tourism among Colorado respondents than Oregon respondents, indicating that Colorado residents' support for cannabis tourism was more significantly influenced by their perceived positive and negative impact levels than Oregon respondent. Considering the continued evolvement in the legal and economic landscapes of cannabis tourism, policy makers and industry professionals should engage in continual conversations on how to plan and manage this new tourism segment for community and state development.