Cannabis-focused market research firm BDSA released its latest Consumer Insights Report Wednesday, revealing new trends for the industry. The company is tracking sales and performance data, while this particular report explores the preferences and behaviors of consumers across the US and Canada in both medical and adult-use sectors. The survey questioned 8,783 US adults and 3,466 Canadians.
The new paper also confirmed that support for cannabis legalization continues to grow among the US population.
How should marijuana businesses best engage consumers? Let’s look at what the report has to say.
Key Takeaways
- Support for full cannabis legalization grew 5% from spring to fall 2022, with 56% backing reform. Some 30% are in favor of only medical marijuana legalization, which compares to 30% who stated the same in the previous survey.
- The percentage of people who are against any legal cannabis remained the same or 8%, while the rest continue to be unsure.
- In states where cannabis is legal, three out of four adults (75%) are either consumers themselves (48%) or accepting of it (27%).
- Nearly 90% of cannabis consumers in legal states say that they expect to continue consuming in the coming six months.
- Average consumer spending on cannabis has declined by $5 per trip to retail shops.
- Inhalables continue to lead in both preference and usage among consumers, while topicals saw double-digit declines compared to the spring of 2022.
- 75% of inhalable categories–including flower, vape and pre-roll usage increased, whereas gummies were the only non-inhalable category to see usage increase.
- General awareness of cannabinoids remains stable, but fewer consumers confirmed awareness of terpenes or “expert” knowledge of cannabinoids.
See also: EXCLUSIVE: BDSA Analyst Digs Into New Cannabis Markets, Behaviors, Trends, Social Bonds On 4/20