Results of a secret shopper study in New York City indicate that state-licensed marijuana retailers were far more consistent about discouraging youth access to cannabis compared to illicit stores, with regulated outlets consistently verifying the age of would-be buyers as well as avoiding cartoon signage and products that appeal to young people.

The study looked at 37 retailers randomly selected from 870 across New York City (NYC), where illicit shops outnumber licensed stores.

All of the licensed retailers that were observed checked purchasers’ ID both before store entry and prior to purchase, the study found. Unregulated stores, by contrast, checked IDs before entry only 10 percent of the time, and verified ages before purchase less than half (48 percent) of the time.

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