In states where it’s legal, most people buy their weed at the store

According to newly released survey data, more than half of cannabis users in states where weed is legal buy their stuff in stores.

The survey, conducted by New Frontier Data, found that “52% of current consumers say their primary source is a brick-and-mortar dispensary, and only 6% say their primary source is a retailer,” in states where marijuana is legal for consumers Adult consumption is legal.

According to the survey “43% of [all] Current consumers say that a brick-and-mortar pharmacy is their main source of cannabis, compared to 34% in 2022,” while 10% of “current consumers say their main source is a retailer, up from 13% in 2022.”

“Interestingly, 29% of current consumers in illicit markets say their main source is also a brick-and-mortar pharmacy, compared to 17% who say they use retailers. “This means that consumers, even in illicit markets, will travel across state lines to obtain cannabis from a regulated source, as 42% of consumers report sourcing cannabis out of state,” said Dr. Amanda Reiman, chief knowledge officer at New Frontier Data, wrote in analyzing the survey:

Dozens of states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational cannabis for adults, a wave of normalization that has made shopping for weed an experience akin to going to the drugstore or grocery store.

As Reiman put it, “In many ways and in many places, cannabis has become just another errand to do on the commute home from work.”

“It is not only the sourcing of cannabis that is beginning to mimic traditional trading, the reasons consumers give for choosing a particular source are becoming mainstream. The most important reasons why consumers choose a particular brick-and-mortar pharmacy are product quality, product selection, price, competent staff and convenient location. “These are the top reasons people choose grocery stores (location, price, product selection, product quality, and friendly and knowledgeable staff),” Reiman wrote.

“A remnant of the prohibition revealed in sourcing data is the reason consumers cite for choosing the same companies over and over again, which is familiarity.” This was cited by 58% of consumers as the reason why they keep coming back to the same store. Almost 20 years ago, I conducted a study of medicinal cannabis patients and asked this question about the medicinal cannabis dispensary they visited. Familiarity was also cited as the main reason. During Prohibition, acquiring cannabis was a rule-based process. What you could say, what not, how to pay correctly and contact your retailer, all with the risk of arrest. Part of the process was knowing exactly what the rules were and what was expected of you. To some extent, this fear has lingered on until legalization for many consumers who, despite shopping in a legal marketplace, may still feel they are doing something wrong and need to adhere to certain protocols. As the legal market matures, I expect that familiarity will become less important and that the other reasons for loyalty (convenient location, knowledgeable staff and product choice) will become more important to consumers.”

Reiman added, “The number of consumers shopping at brick-and-mortar pharmacies will continue to rise as more legitimate markets come online and even those in illicit markets will have greater access to legitimate stores.” As will other areas of commerce Location, product selection and staff will drive the dispensary business and consumers will relax in this new reality of cannabis as a packaged consumer good.”