Green runs: Colorado cannabis sales during ski season

This study examines the impact of ski tourism on Colorado’s retail marijuana (RMJ) sales, leveraging county-level sales data and ski resort characteristics. Using a two-way fixed effects model, we analyze seasonal variations in RMJ sales across counties with differing ski resort acreages. Our findings indicate that ski resort counties experience significant increases in RMJ sales during peak ski months (December–March), with the most prominent effects observed in counties with the largest ski resorts. The largest ski resort county – Summit County – sees an estimated seasonal increase of $4.35 million in RMJ sales. We estimate the isolated extra-state ski tourism effects and find that while some sales may shift from non-ski counties, the net increase in RMJ sales for the top ski resort counties remains economically significant. Our set of results suggest ski tourism increases Colorado’s retail marijuana sales between $4.5 M and $9.4 M per year.