Most Consumers Turn to Cannabis for Medical & Wellness Benefits

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Note: This post is a part of a series following the release of our Cannabis Consumer Profile, a survey covering 20,000 current and prospective cannabis consumers in every US state and aimed at giving consumers a voice and cannabis businesses insights that can be used to strategically steer their businesses.

Cannabis’ medical uses and the compassionate care movement undeniably laid the groundwork for prohibition repeal. However, as the national cannabis landscape has rapidly shifted from medical-only regulations to full adult-use regulations, there’s been a corresponding shift in both how the media covers cannabis and cannabis companies think about this suddenly much larger pool of potential consumers.

Generally speaking, the assumption has been that this new wave of consumers are primarily interested in cannabis for its ability to enhance recreational activities like going to a concert, watching movies, or even just hanging out with friends. In truth though, the results of our study show that this assumption is largely unfounded. 

While there are certainly some more purely recreational uses for cannabis - that upcoming Labor Day barbecue with your quarantine pod is going to be even more relaxing with the right edible - that focus on recreation undercuts a driver for most consumers who, our numbers show, are instead primarily focused on the plant’s potential to provide medical and wellness benefits. And we know that this drive to turn to cannabis in search of stress and anxiety relief has been even higher during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for women and mothers. 

The Numbers: 

  • 83% consume cannabis for at least some medical/wellness reasons vs. only recreational ones. 

  • Importantly, 16% don’t draw any distinction between the two motivations at all.

  • Anxiety (51%), depression (44%), and insomnia (31%) are the top medical/wellness concerns people are looking to cannabis to help with. 

  • Four of the top five brand values consumers are looking for all relate to this theme: “Natural,” “Wellness,” “Relaxed,” “Medical.”

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The Insights: 

These numbers show that, in contrast to the current media and industry focus, the percentage of consumers who are turning to cannabis solely for recreational reasons is actually relatively low. In fact, most find there is at least some healing or wellness benefit to cannabis.

Accordingly, there is danger of underestimating the role that medical and wellness benefits play in consumer purchase decisions. Companies and brands risk misaligning their product development and marketing with a significant part of their current and future customer base.

However, we must acknowledge the sensitive area that cannabis and medicine sits in. Cannabis brands and companies need to be cautious about promoting specific health benefits from their products or face potential penalties, but the reward will be high for those who can both operate within the parameters of FDA guidance while conveying that they can be trusted for wellness benefits.

Considering both FDA restrictions and limitations on cannabis marketing still enforced by typical marketing channels like Google ads, Facebook, YouTube and more, consumer education content that doesn’t promote a specific product can be a powerful way to safely and effectively carry out medical- and wellness-focused marketing.

In addition, brands and companies should keep in mind the strength of social ties in purchase decisions compared to other industries. Friends and family are the #1 source of information about cannabis, so winning over even one well-connected consumer by delivering on the medical and wellness benefits they’re looking for can mean winning over their entire network. 

Want to know who your medical and wellness customers are? Curious about a specific state in the US medical cannabis market? We’d love to connect with you

And don’t forget to download the full 27-page PDF packed with even more data and insights that will give you a clear sense of the cannabis consumer and empower you to strategically steer your business accordingly. 

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Friends & Family Are the Leading Influencers for Cannabis Consumers