Survey: Cannabis Consumers Switching to Vapes, Using More Often

A TVape survey of cannabis consumers suggests that users are not only consuming more cannabis during the coronavirus pandemic but are also shifting more toward vaporizer use and away from combustion.

A slight majority – 53.89 percent – of the 360 people surveyed said they were consuming more cannabis since the call to quarantine, with 41.39 percent saying they are consuming the same amount, and just 4.72 percent of respondents saying they were consuming less.

Prior to the pandemic, 56.11 percent of respondents said vaporizing was their preferred method of consuming cannabis – that figure jumped to 73.06 as citizens throughout the U.S. quarantined either on their own accord or government direction. According to the survey, the number of people using a bong doubled from 5 percent to 10 percent, while the number of people who predominately smoked joints fell from 16.67 percent to 6.11 percent. Pipe use also dropped among the respondents from 5.83 percent to 1.94 percent.

According to the survey, 20.56 percent of those who changed their preferred consumption method attributed the shift to concern over their lung health. COVID-19 – the disease caused by the coronavirus – affects the respiratory system and some patients end up on respirators. Another 12.5 percent said they changed their method to something more convenient, 6.67 percent indicated they switched it up out of boredom, 5.28 percent chose a method with less odor, and 4.72 percent said their new method saves them money by using less product. Just about half of respondents (50.28 percent) said they haven’t changed how they consume.

The survey also found the number of people “likely” to use a vaporizer increased 20 percent – from 68.06 percent to 88.06 percent – and about 9 percent more were more likely to consume indoors (62.5 percent to 71.67 percent).

The survey respondents also indicated that they were consuming more cannabis in the morning and afternoon post-pandemic, with the number of daytime consumers rising from 16.12 percent to 35.56 percent.

Also, users seemed to be split about whether they are willing to share a “piece” with another person during the pandemic as 59.72 percent said they were not likely to share their piece and 48.89 percent said they were not likely to host group sessions with friends.

In most states, cannabis was considered an essential service during pandemic shutdowns.