It appears as if some Idahoans went on some road trips to Oregon in 2019.
CBS2 reports that Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis took a deep dive into the state’s marijuana sales along border counties in Washington and Idaho.
“…Even if we expect — and get — border effects, the sales in counties along the Idaho border were much stronger than I anticipated,” said John Lehner, an economist for the state of Oregon. “Furthermore, and in things you cannot make up, Oregon sales per adult along the Idaho border are 420% the statewide average.”
The number “420” is a widely-used slang term for marijuana and cannabis culture. It’s now legal to purchase marijuana in Oregon, but it’s bringing it back to the Gem State, which, of course, is still very much illegal.
“The border effect is real,” Lehner said. “Both Oregon and Washington see a clear impact in higher recreational marijuana sales along the Idaho border than can be explained by local socio-economic factors. Now, this does not mean that all of those larger sales are necessarily to Idahoans. It could be other customers maybe traveling from further away or from elsewhere within our state who are traveling through.”
