Cultivating Choice: Determinants of Home Cannabis Growing Among Legal Users in the United States

Abstract

As cannabis legalization evolves in the United States, policies regarding home cultivation vary significantly across states. This study examines factors influencing the decision to grow cannabis at home by cannabis-consuming residents in legal states. Using data from a large online survey (n = 4,823) of recent cannabis users in cannabis-legal states, we explore four potential explanations for home cultivation: legal access, needs-based motivations, resource-based factors, and identity-based reasons. Our analysis reveals that home growers differ significantly from non-growers across multiple dimensions. The stance of state policies on home cultivation plays a role in determining who will grow their own. Notably, a strong sense of cannabis identity is the most powerful predictor for home cultivation. While some aspects of needs-based and resource-based motivations play a role, multivariate analyses demonstrate that the most compelling explanation includes a mix of variables, demonstrating the complexity of cannabis consumption and choices to cultivate.