Half of U.S. cannabis consumers prefer bud to booze: Survey

Article content

A recent report from cannabis data and analytics firm New Frontier Data has found that a growing number of U.S. cannabis consumers prefer bud to booze.

Article content

The report, Cannabis & Wellness: A New Consumer Paradigm, examines consumer trends and patterns of cannabis use, such as consuming the plant as an alcohol replacement or for physical and mental health, per Cannabis.net.

The report found that the most common reasons for consuming cannabis were stress relief and relaxation. Additionally, 23 per cent of respondents use cannabis to support overall wellness, including 13 per cent of consumers reporting cannabis consumption prior to exercise.

Nearly 80 per cent of respondents reported the plant had a positive impact on their life.

Article content

“The U.S. consumer base is diversifying, and reasons for use are extending well beyond recreational use into broader medical and wellness applications,” said Giadha A. DeCarcer, New Frontier Data’s founder and executive chair, per Cannabis.net.

DeCarcer added that the company is focused on reporting “on the full spectrum of cannabis consumer behaviour, now expanding into more nuanced aspects of medical use across North America and Europe.”

When it comes to booze, the report found that cannabis consumers are increasingly replacing booze with bud. About half of respondents said they had replaced some of their alcohol consumption with cannabis. Another 52 per cent of those polled noted they were consuming cannabis for mental health reasons during the pandemic.

Article content

A survey of 2,015 people commissioned by Field Trip Health earlier this year found that the majority of Canadians were feeling depressed and lethargic during the pandemic, with 50 per cent of respondents increasing their cannabis consumption and 44 per cent upping their alcohol consumption.

Additionally, the survey found Canadians weren’t just turning to substances to cope. More than 70 per cent of respondents reported increased screen time, another 70 per cent said they were overeating and a quarter of those surveyed said their use of prescription medication had risen.

Another U.S. survey published earlier this month found that almost seven in 10 polled cannabis consumers will be turning to the plant to help them get through the holiday season.

CBD Oracle, a cannabis consumer research company, collected information from 1,925 U.S. adults who had consumed cannabis at least once before and found that nearly 70 per cent of respondents expect to “use more [cannabis] over the holiday period, largely to help manage holiday stress.”

Article content

Subscribe to  Weekend Dispensary , a new weekly newsletter from The GrowthOp.