Cannabis technology company Eaze has released its 2017 State of Cannabis report, which found a 19 percent annual increase among California Baby Boomers ordering cannabis products, and in 2017 customers placed an order with the company every 10 seconds – a 200 percent increase over 2016 figures.
April 20 – or the 4/20 holiday – continues to be the most popular day for cannabis orders through Eaze in California, followed by the day before Thanksgiving – dubbed Green Wednesday – President’s Day Weekend, and Valentine’s Day, with Halloween and Independence Day tied for fifth.
“This year’s State of Cannabis report reveals a turning point in the industry toward mainstream acceptance. After Californians voted for adult use in November 2016, many consumers shifted their mindset and became more open to using cannabis to improve their everyday lives. Americans are becoming better educated about the wellness benefits offered by cannabis.” – Jim Patterson, Eaze CEO, in a press release
In 2016, Eaze offered just 18 different cannabis brands, but in 2017 that figure exploded 239 percent to 61. It’s product offering swelled even higher, from 101 unique products in 2016 to 427 last year, a 323 percent increase. The report indicates that for the first time among Eaze customers, ready-to-use products – such as vape pens – outsold flower; and, while the number of male customers still far exceeds the number of female customers – 65 percent to 35 percent – spending by female Eaze customers increased by 20 percent from 2016 to 2017. In 2015, women represented just 25 percent of Eaze customers.
The analytics also purport that consumers are increasingly using cannabis to stop using sleeping pills, tobacco, and anxiety medications; 95 percent of respondents who used sleeping pills indicated that using cannabis has helped reduce their pill consumption, with 45 percent saying they stopped using their sleeping pills entirely. Of the 38 percent of Eaze customers who used tobacco, 73 percent indicated cannabis has helped them reduce their tobacco consumption and 13 percent said they were able to replace tobacco entirely with cannabis. And of the 48 percent who use or have used anxiety medication, 95 percent said cannabis has helped them reduce their reliance on those meds, with 40 percent saying they replaced their medication entirely with cannabis.
Adult-use sales commenced in California on Jan. 1. Analysis by New Frontier Data and Arcview Market Research estimates that the California legal cannabis market could reach $6.5 billion by 2020.