In 2020, both medical and recreational marijuana concentrate sales increased by 40 percent.
Marijuana Enthusiasts and Cannabis Concentrates
In order to fully understand the scope of this data, we must first dig into what exactly a marijuana concentrate is. Cannabis data analytics company Headset defines a marijuana concentrate as “a product mechanically or chemically derived from cannabis with a higher cannabinoid potency than the original plant material, usually intended for smoking or vaporizing.” There are numerous forms of concentrates including, but not limited to: badder, budder, crumble, crystalline, distillate, hash, kief, live resin, moon rocks, oil, rosin, shatter, sugar, and terp sauce.
Now that you know what concentrates are, you’re probably wondering the importance of what the dramatic increase in sales means. When people start medicating or using cannabis for recreational use, they tend to smoke regular marijuana flower first. When you do this, you’re getting anywhere from 0% THC to 35% THC inhaled into your body. Over time, though, your tolerance begins to increase if you’re smoking the same amount and percentage. That tolerance can build so much, that the consistent amount you’ve been inhaling won’t do it anymore.
In comes the mighty player: marijuana concentrates. These bad boys are so potent, they can have around 95% THC in them! In order to smoke concentrates, you generally need a dab rig to consume the product. But tolerance builds similarly to flower; eventually you’ll have a concentrate tolerance just like the flower. As CEO of San Francisco Bay Area-based Ammonite, Mike McDonald states, “Heavy consumers that are smoking or dabbing every day, they certainly build up a tolerance for stronger stuff over time.”
Why Have Marijuana Concentrate Sales Significantly Increased?
The total sales of concentrates grew from 567 million dollars in 2019 to 797 million dollars in 2020. It should be noted that the data collected is only coming from California, Colorado, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon. While demand increases for concentrates, dispensaries are more than happy to oblige, as the wholesale level for products increased by 7.3% from 2019 into 2020. It now costs an average $19.68 for a concentrate product in these states.
Despite this significant increase in marijuana concentrate sales, flower is actually the item people buy the most. For reference, in December of 2019, around 90% of all marijuana products sold was 1-gram of flower. In December of 2020, that percentage rose to six points! “We tend to see an 80%-20% in favor of flower in early markets, but as consumers become more seasoned, you see that trend shift.” Said Nick Tennant, founder and chief technology officer of Precision Extraction Solutions.
“There’s definitely a correlation between how long the industry has been around and the types of products consumers are looking for.” said Katie Bajacar, marketing director at cannabis extraction company Spherex.
While we learn more about the cannabis market over time, we encourage you to spread the information that non-cannabis users might need. In order to promote activism for pot in this country, we need to help everyone understand the benefits of this plant. So spread the word! Please share this article with a close friend or relative to educate them.
Additional Resources:
At The Weed Blog, we strive to produce the latest online news resources regarding marijuana. We also review various strains of cannabis or other edible counterparts. We are committed to helping you find valuable information about marijuana on our website. With marijuana laws constantly changing, learn from us what you can do to promote activism in your area. Otherwise, consider these other top-tier articles regarding cannabis:
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