Closer proximity to cannabis retail stores linked with more cannabis use but less drinking

(NOVEMBER 7, 2025) A study of more than 60,000 adult Oregonians shows that living near cannabis retail stores is associated with a greater tendency toward frequent cannabis use but a lower likelihood of heavy alcohol consumption.

The research led by Oregon State University scientist David Kerr looked at nine years of data from an ongoing telephone survey. The survey is called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and it is from the Oregon Health Authority.

Participants in the survey didn’t need to know the locations of cannabis stores around them. That information was determined by linking participants’ ZIP codes with addresses of licensed retailers.

“The bottom line is that Oregonians who lived near more licensed cannabis retailers, and in closer proximity to them, were more likely to use cannabis 10 or more days per month than people living in areas with fewer retailers,” said Kerr. He is a professor of psychological science at Oregon State University. “Another key finding was that adults living closer to cannabis retailers were less likely to report heavy drinking.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define heavy drinking as eight or more drinks per week for women and 15 or more for men.

Kerr collaborated with OSU graduate student Haley Hummel and Multnomah County’s Julia Dilley and Erik Everson. They noted that both effects – more cannabis and less alcohol – were most pronounced in two age groups: people ages 21-24 and those 65 and over.

“These and other findings suggest that age-informed, multilevel prevention efforts are needed,” Kerr said. “Communities would benefit from a range of policies that respond to the growing evidence that cannabis products and retail stores are marketed in ways that are appealing to young adults, many of whom live in areas with lots of retail access and who are more apt to buy high-potency products.”

At the other end of the age spectrum, he said, perceptions about the risk of regular cannabis use have decreased in recent years, especially among people with chronic diseases who may use cannabis for medicinal purposes in ways that aren’t evidence based or that introduce new health risks.

“It’s a complicated picture,” Kerr said, “because cannabis is considered effective for certain conditions like chronic pain, it poses less risk than opioids, and less drinking is better for your health than more drinking.”

Kerr doubts people are choosing where they live based on the number of cannabis retailers nearby but rather that increased access to retailers may influence residents’ behavior.

Retail sales of recreational cannabis products in Oregon began in 2015. State law allows counties and cities to ban retail cannabis operations, but county bans apply only to unincorporated areas.

“Retail access to cannabis products can be regulated through an array of approaches and enacted at different levels of government,” Kerr said. “Careful consideration should be given to policies and prevention efforts that balance the goals of cannabis legalization against potential harms.”