According to a new survey, Californians are more comfortable in line at a legal weed dispensary than they are online Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
As reported by WIRED, a newly-published annual questionnaire from Golden State public relations firm Edelman gauged the trustworthiness Californians felt towards a number of local business sectors and the government.
Reaching out to 1,500 California residents from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and surrounding areas, Edelman’s researchers found 44% of Californians trusted local cannabis dispensaries, and 43% trusted cannabis growers. On the flip side, only 33% of California residents said that they trusted social media companies.
As for the cannabis industry’s effect on state finances, 55% of respondents said that they “think the marijuana industry fuels some/a great deal of the economy in my area of California,” suggesting that even if some folks don’t trust the pot shop at the end of the block, they know it’s bringing in cash to the community.
And while the California cannabis industry is one of the most tightly regulated marketplaces in the state, the same cannot be said for Silicon Valley’s vast network of tech companies. 68% of respondents told Edelman that the tech industry has been “under-regulated.” That number was even higher, at 69%, for tech workers themselves, who feel that the companies they work for could use increased oversight.
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