Poll: One-Third of New Jersey Adults Have Used Cannabis Post-Legalization

About a third of New Jersey adults have used cannabis products since the state passed legalization legislation about a year ago, according to a Stockton University poll. Nearly half – 47% – of those who consumed cannabis did so for recreational purposes, 14% purely for medical reasons, and 39% for both medical and recreational purposes.

In all, 69% of those polled bought cannabis from a licensed dispensary and 86% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, the poll found. Forty-three percent of those polled said they were satisfied because they knew the products were safe and 23% approved of the quality; however, just 7% said they were satisfied with the price. 

Among the 30% who bought cannabis from unregulated sources, 18% said they did so because prices or taxes charged at dispensaries were too high, but the main reason cited for buying cannabis illegally was the lack of a legal dispensary nearby. 

Nearly half (48%) of survey respondents favored cannabis attractions like consumption lounges, while a full 50% of respondents in South Jersey, where tourism is a top employer, opposed offering such attractions.  

Slightly more than half (53%) of respondents supported adult-use dispensaries in their town, down from the 56% who backed dispensaries where they live in an April 2022 Stockton Poll. 

In all, 37% of male respondents had consumed cannabis, along with 28% of women. Democrats were also more likely to consume cannabis than Republicans or independents (38%, 24%, and 32%, respectively). 

The survey included 660 New Jersey residents.