🫣 The hidden cannabis consumer

There’s a healthy debate these days.

A debate about the future.

And we’re stuck in the middle of it.

🗣 The debate is around the future of cannabis consumers

Right now, the heaviest cannabis consumer is a young male that buys a lot of flower and concentrates. Other segments are growing, but that’s the prevailing buyer. They buy a lot. They talk about weed a lot. They wear Cookies hoodies.

(Btw, please don’t take any of this as a judgment. I own a Cookies hoodie, and it is comfy as hell. I respect that brand a lot. Let’s treat my descriptions as what they are - generalizations. It’s not nuanced, but it’s the fastest way to describe a customer segment in a post. And it’s pretty accurate).

Here’s a gender breakdown of category sales, with my red overlays (thanks Headset!):

Let’s call these people high-volume consumers. These dudes tend to be entrenched in the culture, and they show up - hard - in sales data. That leads to a feedback loop - stock high-potency flower, stock powerful concentrates, sell more.

And, it’s kinda true.

Powerful cannabis, for better or worse, produces dependencies in individuals. Your tolerance goes up - you smoke more powerful flower, and you buy more frequently. Rinse and repeat.

(This is also not a value judgment. I love cannabis. Relax). 

So, current state - sure, it makes sense to cater this this segment. Brands have exploded on this value proposition. High-potency, high-frequency consumers keep a lot of brands and retailers in business, and that’s fine.

🤔 But…what about everyone else?

My North Star, during my professional tenure in cannabis and for my whole adult life, has been to enable access to cannabis to more people.

Cannabis is not just a high-octane product. It is a nuanced, playful plant that takes on thousands of roles in our collective existence. We are doing a disservice to the plant - and to humanity - by abiding by only current sales data, which is heavily skewed to one group of people.

There’s a reason Wyld and Wana and Cann and Wunder do well. People with lower tolerances - who still love the experience of the plant - are voting with their dollars.

This segment - let’s call them low-potency, daily regiment folks - is coming on strong. They are dwarfed by the high-volume consumer, but they have potential to grow (and they are).

🙄 The most annoying segment - the “canna-curious”

Much has been said about the canna-curious. The most heinous description of them involves descriptions of “soccer moms.” I find it all sexist and ridiculous.

What we’re really trying to say is that some people want to use cannabis, but they have no idea what form factor or potency makes sense for them. They may be shy to admit their exploration of alternative medicine. They just…don’t know what to do.

It’s our job, as an industry, to help them decide.

📣 So…who do you market to?

Welp - as a brand, I’m sorry to say, you gotta pick. Either you cater to existing buyers, and compete in a crowded but potentially-lucrative space, or you choose a new(er) segment and hope for the best.

As a platform, or a technology partner, or a retailer, you can speak to everyone (with a specific voice for each). And that’s the luxury of not having to start super niche.

I wrote this today, and it encapsulates how I feel about it:

📚 tl;dr

• The largest cannabis consumer is predominantly male, and predominantly loves high-potency product (high-volume consumers)

• There is also a low-potency, daily-regiment segment; they are growing, but still dwarfed by the high-volume dudes

• There is also the canna-curious, who are admittedly annoying, because they are often browsers and not buyers. But we can’t leave them out of our communications

• As a brand, you kinda have to choose

• As a platform, or tech partner, or retailer, you can speak to each with a specific voice

• It is Thursday