Of Alabamians admit they use cannabis
Nearly fourteen percent of adults in this state openly acknowledge regular use of marijuana products. The real figure is almost certainly higher, because people do not readily admit to a crime on a survey.
Data-driven approach
The numbers
We use real market data, arrest records and regulatory research so that decisions rest on facts rather than guesswork. Every figure here carries its source.
Where the country stands
Legal status across the United States
24
States with recreational cannabis
39
States with medical cannabis
11
States where it remains illegal
$56.9B
Projected US cannabis market, FY'28
Growing at a compound annual rate of 12.9%.
$33.6B
Generated in legal sales
Revenue produced in 2023 by states with legal marijuana.
Source: MJBizDaily US cannabis sales estimates: mjbizdaily.com/us-cannabis-sales-estimates
2023 in Alabama
What the current approach costs us
Alabama is one of the eleven. These are the consequences of that, measured.
Arrested for cannabis possession
Possession arrests made up 42% of every drug arrest in Alabama that year. Not trafficking, not manufacture. Possession.
Spent enforcing marijuana laws
Twenty-two million dollars of public money, with no plan on the table to change the approach. That is the part that makes reform urgent rather than merely sensible.
Average cost to arrest one person
Law enforcement activity, judicial proceedings and incarceration costs, added together and divided out.
Tax revenue collected elsewhere
Legal cannabis markets across the United States generated $4.2 billion in tax revenue in 2023. Alabama collected none of it.
A note on the figures
How we handle data
Figures on this page come from published market research and public arrest and enforcement records. Where a number is an estimate, we say so. Where a source updates its methodology, we update the page rather than keeping the more useful version.
If you believe something here is wrong, tell us and bring the source. We would rather correct a figure than defend one.
Numbers are only useful if somebody hears them
Contact your representative, or bring us in to present the evidence directly.