Cannabis Tourism Booms: But Are Travelers Ready?

The recreational cannabis industry is ever growing and becoming a big driver of tourism–in the U.S., the cannabis industry is expected to be worth $90 billion by 2026 and in research conducted in 2020, nearly 20% of all adult Americans qualify as cannabis-motivated travelers.

What’s more, lifestyle brands are increasingly coming onto the market for eager travelers, many of them run by women, who are driving the market into a more wellness, organic, consumer-friendly territory.

As Condé Nast reported, “women across the country are creatively shaping safe spaces for both the cannabis curious and experienced to enjoy the plant” with interesting tourist ideas, such as a Portland-based enterprise that serves cannabis-infused dishes to diners or hosts who invite travelers to experiment in their historic Detroit home, through the website Bud and Breakfast.

“If women make 80 percent of the spending decisions in the American household, if we buy the beer and the food and the clothes, we’re going to buy the weed,” says the founder of LEUNE, a cannabis-forward lifestyle brand, Nidhi Lucky Handa–reported in CN Traveler.

So, as cannabis becomes increasingly legalised–now in 18 states across the U.S. and increasingly around the world, it is worth remembering just what is and isn’t okay on your travels:

• In the U.S., all 18 states have very different rules about how to consume this evolving product, in all its forms–in most states, cannabis products have to be consumed in private residences, except New York City, which allows its use wherever cigarettes are allowed to be smoked.
• Do not cross borders in possession of cannabis products. What might be legal in one state might not be legal upon arrival and travelers could fall foul of local laws. As cannabis is not legal at a federal level, it is also illegal to bring it on an airplane as planes fly under federal jurisdiction. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for the welfare of travelers and “focused on security” aiming “to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers”. However, if they find a substance, it will be reported.
• It is always best to do your research and err on the side of caution–there are cannabis maps available to help travelers through the vagaries of local rules, never drive under the influence and ask the Budtenders for advice–the people who sell to customers. U.S. News has a guide to what’s legal in each state.

And take extra care when traveling overseas to make sure you are up-to-date on local views and cultural norms. Whilst it is legal to smoke marijuana in the Netherlands, for example–the Dutch government is involved in a project to fund the legal authorisation of commercial cannabis farming in the country–there are ongoing calls for it to be banned for tourists.

And some of the most visited European countries have the fiercest cannabis rules. France, for instance, while it has some of the highest rates of cannabis use, also has the harshest laws.