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Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want & why
- Opportunities
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Market Dynamics
- Market context
- Annual inflation sat at 2.9% as of July, the lowest it had been since March 2021
- Graph 1: headline CPI and core CPI, 2021-24
- Market drivers
- Cannabis rescheduling signals changes ahead
- California continues to trail-blaze
- Gen Z is the future of cannabis
- Graph 2: cannabis use, by various demographics, 2024
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Cannabis user profiles
- Cannabis can’t catch alcohol
- Graph 3: consumption in the last 3 months, 2024
- Theories about cannabis as an alcohol replacement are misguided
- Graph 4: consumption in the last 3 months, by gender, 2024
- Graph 5: consumption in the last 3 months, by generation, 2024
- Winning current users is a gift that keeps on giving
- Graph 6: cannabis use frequency, by various demographics, 2024
- Edibles and drinkables experience and interest
- The best defense is a good offense (and the best offense is a good defense)
- Graph 7: format experience and interest, 2024
- Opportunity for edibles is gender agnostic, though seizing opportunities may require slight differences
- Graph 8: experience and interest in edibles, by gender, 2024
- Can baby boomers create a cannabis boom? Maybe not quite, but they can help
- Graph 9: experience and interest in edibles, by generation, 2024
- Drinkables opportunity is slow to translate to success
- Graph 10: experience and interest in drinkables, by gender. 2024
- Edibles and drinkables by type
- Supply and demand drive gummies’ reign
- Graph 11: types of edibles purchased in the last 3 months, by gender, 2024
- Drinkables don’t have to compete 1:1 with alcohol
- Graph 12: types of drinkables purchased in the last 3 months, 2024
- Changes in edible cannabis use since last year
- Edibles continue to climb from their already high place
- Graph 13: changes in edibles consumption since last year, 2024
- Edibles are breaking free of “classic” associations
- Graph 14: reasons for consuming more edible cannabis, 2024
- Polish health halos to attract female consumers
- Graph 15: reasons for consuming more edible cannabis, by gender, 2024
- Changes in drinkable cannabis
- Look to current cannabis users to expand the drinkables niche
- Graph 16: changes in drinkable cannabis consumption since last year, 2024
- Better taste is table stakes
- Graph 17: reasons for changes in drinkable cannabis consumption, 2024
- Attitudes towards edible and drinkable cannabis
- Brand remains a lukewarm selling point
- Graph 18: attitudes towards edible cannabis, 2024
- Women are shopping around; give them a reason to commit
- Graph 19: attitudes towards edible cannabis, by gender, 2024
- Drinkables win with the curious cannabis consumer
- Graph 20: attitudes towards drinkable cannabis, 2024
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Innovation and Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Wyld focuses on flavor, innovates with CBC, CBG
- Chef-driven, wellness-inspired
- Clebby’s is not a half-baked business
- Special delivery: convenience, equity and THC
- Chicago-based caterer hits the high notes with cannabis infusions
- Marketing and advertising
- Bridge gaps between consumer niches with careful brand stories
- Strong messaging, smart formulation CANN do as an alcohol alternative
- Flavourscape AI: trending herbal and floral flavors in alcohol
- Cresco says Yes, Chef to Mindy’s Edibles as an ingredient
- Good flavor, improved flavor, are foundational to competitive edge
- Opportunities
- Alcohol-alt positioning won’t work for all brands
- Let flavor drive daypart associations
- Take a page from wine country
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Appendix
- Consumer research methodology
- Abbreviations and terms
- Generations
Engaging across all age demographics is crucial for maximizing the potential of edibles and drinkables. Young men remain the strongest force, but women and older consumers cannot be ignored. Edibles tend to be the format most appealing across the board, making them a must-have for any major cannabis brand, with 30% of cannabis-using baby boomers showing interest and 60% of female cannabis users reporting use in the last three months.
Drinkables remain a more niche endeavor; not all brands can, or should, do them well. But part of success will include moving away from alcohol associations; 45% of drinkables users have reached for THC-enhanced sodas, about 15 percentage points more than beer or wine-style alternatives.
Edibles and drinkables, however, do have a critical attribute in common: they’re not inhalables. Both are uniquely positioned to balance recreational use with wellness benefits, by circumnavigating risks associated with smoking. As a bonus, food and drink inherently offer fun and enjoyment associated with flavors and textures. Ultimately, consumables are able to balance objections to cannabis while also checking a lot of key boxes for consumers of all types.
As always with cannabis, the landscape has potential to change abruptly alongside legislation, requiring businesses to maintain agility and scalability.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Current demographics of cannabis users
- Edibles and drinkables experience and interest
- Changes in edibles/drinkables use
- Edibles and drinkables by type
- Attitudes towards edibles/drinkables.
Cannabis food and drink represent the full spectrum of cannabis opportunity: edibles are a must-have while drinks are a more niche (but still growing) subcategory.
Michele Scott, Associate Director, US Research – Food and Drink
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