Americans Prefer to Live Where Cannabis is Legal, Real Estate Survey Finds
Among those who recently moved to a new metropolitan area, 46% said they prefer to reside somewhere where marijuana is "fully legal," compared to only 22% who want to live in a place with prohibition still in place
Curation and editing by Sechat, with information from Marijuana Moment
Americans prefer to live in states where cannabis is legal rather than those that continue to criminalize marijuana consumers. According to a new survey published on Monday by the real estate firm Redfin.
Among those who recently moved to a new metropolitan area, 46% said they prefer to reside somewhere where marijuana is "fully legal," compared to only 22% who want to live in a place with prohibition still in place.
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The share of those who favor legalized jurisdictions includes more than one in ten respondents - 12% - who say they would only consider living in places where cannabis can be legally purchased. On the other hand, 10% said they would rule out moving to areas that still criminalize it.
32% of survey participants said they do not care about the marijuana issue when it comes to where they live.
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The survey, which involved 1,023 U.S. residents who moved to a new home in the 18 months prior to responding to questions in August, also asked about other issues such as abortion policy, voting rights, and gender and sexual orientation anti-discrimination laws.
Redfin said that while public policies on cannabis and other issues are important factors in the decision of where to go, other considerations generally take precedence.
"People take into account a place's politics when deciding where to move, but the truth of the matter is that other factors, including housing affordability and access to jobs and schools, take priority," said Taylor Marr, Redfin's chief economist.
"Often, this means someone will move from a blue state to a red state (or vice versa) but will choose a home in a neighborhood where most people share the same political views as them. Austin, a liberal enclave in Texas that attracts dozens of left-leaning people from more expensive coastal cities, is just one example."
Previous analyses, including one published this year using data from the online real estate market Zillow, have shown that marijuana legalization is associated with higher residential property values.
"Home values increased $6,338 more in states where marijuana is legal in some form, compared to states that have not legalized it," concluded.
Last year, a separate analysis by economists at the University of Oklahoma also found that states that legalize cannabis see an increase in housing prices, with the most pronounced effect when nearby retail outlets open for business.
The research - including a study released this month, authored by a U.S. Department of Agriculture official - linked cannabis legalization to a reduction in crime rates, a key factor in home values and neighborhood convenience.