Klein Buendel Senior Scientists, Drs. W. Gill Woodall and David Buller, presented recent research findings on sales of cannabis to intoxicated patrons at the 10th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Research Society on Marijuana in Albuquerque, New Mexico in July, 2026.

Adult-use recreational cannabis stores in Oregon had a low rate of compliance with a state law prohibiting sales to apparently intoxicated customers. This analysis explored two potential explanations for this low compliance: geographic distance between alcohol and cannabis premises as a proxy for the influence of the alcohol market and socioeconomic disadvantage of the neighborhoods.

Research assistants displaying behavioral signs of alcohol intoxication visited adult-use cannabis stores (n=189) and alcohol outlets for on-premises and off-premises consumption (n=91) in 2024 and 2026 in two large metropolitan areas in Oregon and attempted to purchase cannabis or alcohol (0=no sale; 1=sale). Effects of distance between pair-mates and Neighborhood Deprivation Index (NDI) were tested as predictors of correspondence in sales behavior (both sold or both refused) among pairs of cannabis stores and alcohol outlets using crossed random-intercept generalized linear mixed models.

Assessments were completed at 166 cannabis stores (n=16 closed stores and n=7 distance outliers were excluded) and 89 alcohol outlets (n=2 closed outlets excluded) (n=10,847 pairs). A majority of cannabis stores (77.1%) and off-premises alcohol outlets (63.4%) sold to pseudo-intoxicated buyers, while refusals were more frequent at on-premises (60.4%) than off-premises (36.6%) alcohol outlets. Proximity of cannabis stores and alcohol outlets was associated with more concordance in sales behavior between pairs of cannabis stores with off-premises and on-premises alcohol outlets. NDI had no effect on concordance in sales behavior.

The well-established alcohol market in Oregon may influence whether cannabis stores comply with state laws on responsible sales behavior, due to common regulators and enforcement actions and store owners and personnel with experience selling alcohol. Contacts and competition among alcohol and cannabis premises and neighborhood expectations also may influence cannabis store sales behavior.

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA031591; Drs. W. Gill Woodall and David Buller, MPI). Collaborating authors include Dr. Robert Saltz from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation; Dr. James Fell from Fell Consulting; Dr. Ian Buller from DLH; Dr. Gary Cutter from the University of Alabama Birmingham; and Noah Chirico, Lila Martinez, and Amanda Brice from Klein Buendel.