Nearly 74% of cannabis stores sold to customers acting drunk, despite a law prohibiting it | Research

The takeaway

Pseudo-patron visits to 173 recreational cannabis stores found that 73.7% of the time, sellers were willing to sell to buyers displaying signs of alcohol intoxication, with stores displaying "no sales to intoxicated customers" signs refusing more often.

Cannabis regulators, store operators, public safety officials

73.7% of cannabis stores sold to pseudo-intoxicated buyers

What the researchers found

Sellers were willing to sell cannabis to pseudo-intoxicated buyers at 73.7% of visits (255 of 346). Only 6.9% of stores refused at both visits, while 54.3% sold at both visits. Stores with signs saying "no sales to intoxicated customers" refused more often (34.3%, p = 0.04), especially when buyers displayed more obvious intoxication signs (39.8%, p = 0.049).

Why it matters

Combining cannabis with alcohol increases impairment and harm risk. If laws prohibiting sales to intoxicated customers are largely unenforced, polysubstance-impaired driving and other harms may increase in legal cannabis markets.

The numbers in context

173 stores assessed; 346 total visits; 73.7% willing to sell (255/346); 26.3% refused; 6.9% refused at both visits; 54.3% sold at both visits; stores with signage: 34.3% refusal rate (p = 0.04); more obvious intoxication: 39.8% refusal (p = 0.049)

How the study worked

Pseudo-patron study in January-June 2024. Trained actors visited 189 recreational cannabis stores twice in two large metropolitan areas, displaying alcohol intoxication behaviors while attempting to purchase cannabis. Observers recorded seller responses and store/seller characteristics. Logistic regression analyzed predictors of refusal.

What this study cannot tell us

Two metropolitan areas in one state may not represent all markets. Pseudo-patrons may not perfectly simulate real intoxication. Only two visits per store. Cannot determine seller awareness of the law versus unwillingness to refuse.

How to read the evidence

Moderate: well-designed pseudo-patron methodology with multiple visits per store, but limited to two metro areas in one state.

When this study was published

2026 publication from January-June 2024 pseudo-patron visits.

The bigger picture

This mirrors longstanding problems in alcohol retail, where responsible beverage service laws exist but compliance is inconsistent. Cannabis retail may benefit from the same interventions that improved alcohol service: training programs, enforcement checks, and penalty structures.

Questions still open

Would mandatory seller training improve refusal rates? Do states with more active enforcement see higher compliance? What is the actual rate of cannabis-alcohol polysubstance use among cannabis store customers?

Common questions

Are cannabis stores supposed to refuse drunk customers?

In this state, yes. A law prohibits recreational cannabis sales to apparently intoxicated customers. However, 73.7% of the time, stores were willing to sell anyway.

What helped improve refusal rates?

Stores that displayed signs saying "no sales to intoxicated customers" refused more often (34.3% vs. lower rates without signs), and refusal rates were also higher when buyers showed more obvious intoxication signs.

Read the original research

Noncompliance with laws to prevent polysubstance misuse: Recreational cannabis sales to apparently alcohol-intoxicated customers.

Alcohol, clinical & experimental research, 50(1), e70204

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Woodall, W Gill; Buller, David B; Saltz, Robert; Fell, James C; Martinez, Lila; Brice, Amanda N; Chirico, Noah; Cutter, Gary R. (2026). Noncompliance with laws to prevent polysubstance misuse: Recreational cannabis sales to apparently alcohol-intoxicated customers.. Alcohol, clinical & experimental research, 50(1), e70204. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.70204