DENVER – A new study says that Colorado’s marijuana users aren’t quite the tie-dye wearing, jobless slackers they are sometimes stereotyped as, but rather happy folks who are more likely than non-users to have a full-time job.
The study was put together by BSD Analytics, and compared three groups of people in Colorado and California to one another:
- Consumers: People who consume marijuana;
- Acceptors: People who don’t currently use marijuana but might consider doing so, and;
- Rejecters: People who don’t use marijuana and don’t plan to.
Two-thousand people were interviewed in both states, and 600 people who had used marijuana in the last six months were included.
The study found that 64 percent of Coloradans who used marijuana held full-time jobs, compared to 51 percent of “acceptors” and 54 percent of “rejecters.”
It also found that nearly half of the Coloradans surveyed said they were “more satisfied with life” now than they were a year ago. About 40 percent of acceptors and rejecters said they felt the same.
The study also found that Colorado’s marijuana users were more likely to enjoy the outdoors; 50 percent of users said they liked outdoor recreation, compared to just 36 percent for “rejecters.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study also found that pot users in Colorado were more likely to be fans of fine art and to describe themselves as creative people than non-users.
People who used marijuana were also more likely to say they were “very social” people (36 percent) when compared to acceptors (21 percent) and rejecters (28 percent).
Average annual household incomes for California consumers were between $16,000 and $21,000 higher than acceptors and rejecters, respectively.
BSD Analytics says it believes the study is the first of its kind.
“The ongoing study is the most comprehensive and detailed look at cannabis consumers ever conducted,” the company said.
