A Georgia-based startup recently looked at how many of its users are moving to places like Colorado or Oregon for legal weed.
MoveBuddha found that out of 1,500 people moving to Colorado and the other seven states where recreational pot is legal, nearly 5 percent — or about 75 people — mentioned legal marijuana while discussing their move. The company, which provides moving information and resources online, wrote in a post that everyone who mentioned the drug as a factor in their move was either between 25 and 30 or 65 and older.
"Considering an estimated 43 percent of U.S. adults have experimented with pot, 5 percent may not seem that shocking," MoveBuddha founder Ryan Carrigan said in the post. "But consider this … We don’t ask people anything about marijuana as a part of our discovery call."
Carrigan questioned how many more people might say cannabis was a factor in their move if they were actually asked directly. (He doesn't plan to actually start asking users that question.)
Last summer, Denverite took a crack a the "Are people moving to Colorado for legal pot?" question. The article aided MoveBuddha in its research, Carrigan said in an email.
Only three people moved primarily due to marijuana and they were all for medical reasons, according to the company.
"The reality is, and this is in line with virtually everyone else who has explored this question, people aren’t moving for marijuana except in a few select medical cases. Things like jobs, retirement, and family are still the primary forces driving relocations in the U.S.," Carrigan wrote. "But for people moving into states where weed is fully legal, many are viewing it as a nice plus. An added bonus, if you will."
Business & data reporter Adrian D. Garcia can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/adriandgarcia.
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