SAM working paper on projected costs of marijuana legalization in Rhode Island (and an executive summary of that document)
Executive Summary
Even a conservative estimate of a few projected economic and social costs of marijuana legalization in Rhode Island total $61.2 million for 2020, exceeding the revenues projected by pro-legalization activists by over 25 percent:
- Rhode Island’s business community and employees will bear much of these costs, in the form of increased absenteeism and workplace accidents. As most people injured in serious drug-related workplace accidents are co-workers of the drug-using employee or other third parties, this will affect the state’s workforce broadly.
- The above numbers represent a very conservative model, and do not include a large list of other likely costs, including:
- Additional workplace injuries among part-time employees
- Increases in alcohol use and abuse
- Increases in tobacco use
- More opioid abuse
- Increases in short-term/long-term recovery for marijuana use disorders
- Greater marijuana use among underage students
- Property and other economic damage from marijuana extraction lab explosions
- Controlling an expanded black market, sales to minors, and public intoxication
- Other administrative burdens of most state legalization programs, such as:
- money for drugged driving awareness campaigns;
- drug prevention programs; and
- pesticide control and other agricultural oversight mechanisms
- Long-term health impacts of marijuana use
Contact:
Anisha Gianchandani
Communications Associate
anisha@learnaboutsam.org
+1 (703) 828-8182
