Who are tomorrow's cannabis consumers?

The legalization of cannabis in Canada has led to the emergence of a new wave of consumers. Since the first legal sales last October, cannabis use is no longer associated with young hippies smoking joints but affects all kinds of people, who can now purchase cannabis at various stores across the country.

And while stereotypes die hard, Canadian statistics paint a number of fairly accurate pictures of current and future cannabis users.

Types of Consumers

A report A report co-authored by Lift & Co. and EY, published in June, identifies four major consumer categories based on a survey of nearly 3,000 Canadians. These categories are «leisure» consumers, «curious» consumers, «health and wellness» consumers, and those who are not convinced—and therefore not consumers.

«Leisure» Consumers»

«Leisure» consumers account for about 10% of Canadian adults, who consider themselves to be «experts» in cannabis. This demographic group consists mainly of young men who have considerable knowledge and experience with cannabis. On average, they spend 250$ per month on cannabis products, which they generally consume every day.

«Curious» Consumers»

«Curious» consumers make up 23% of the Canadian adult population. This group is considered the most open to purchasing edible products. These consumers have not yet tried cannabis-based products, but they may be interested in doing so. They are most likely looking for low-dose products, such as CBD, and products that will help them relax.

«Health and Wellness» Consumers»

«Health and Wellness» consumers, who make up 7% of the Canadian population, are referred to as «canna-casual.» These buyers are generally older, consider themselves «familiar with cannabis,» and use cannabis about once a week. They take cannabis for pain relief. As such, they are looking for products with low or moderate concentrations, and CBD products. They spend an average of $100 a month on cannabis.

Those who are not convinced

The fourth category comprises the rest of the Canadian population (60%). This group consists of the «least convinced» individuals, as most did not support legalization and generally remain opposed to most forms of cannabis use. They are unlikely to become users in the near future.

What They Buy

The Lift & Co. and Headset report indicates that younger shoppers spend less per purchase (an average of $55), but more per item (an average of $24). In contrast, shoppers aged 55 and older spend more per purchase (an average of $157), but buy more items at lower prices.

«If we look at what people buy by age, we see that the older population buys more oils than flowers,» says Matei Olaru, CEO of Lift & Co. «So there’s an inherent prediction that, as new consumers enter the market, they probably won’t buy smoking products, but rather infused food or beverages.»

Future consumers?

The survey data show that, among those who are not convinced, many nevertheless say they are willing to try cannabis for health reasons.

This target audience represents an interesting marketing opportunity for cannabis companies, since non-consumers account for 60% of the Canadian population.

«Even those who are skeptical say they would still consider using cannabis if it could help relieve pain. So, for us, that means even skeptics are looking for some form of relief or well-being—not for recreational use, not for partying, and not for medical reasons, but somewhere in between,» says Olaru.

This survey also reveals that the cannabis market could also overlap with that of alcohol : «We found that cannabis consumption was almost identical to alcohol consumption among older users,» said Jennifer Lee, partner and head of the cannabis practice at Deloitte. In fact, a report predicts that cannabis sales will surpass those of alcohol as early as 2020 in Canada.