Marijuana: folks gotta have it! Even during the coronavirus outbreak, society is deeming pot an essential item for daily living. Indeed, in a new study taken in March, a surprisingly high percentage of pot users said that marijuana is more important than face masks…or even food.

Those are the startling conclusions of the recent pandemic study, conducted by AmericanMarijuana.org, a highly reputable medical marijuana research site. The bullishly pro-weed sentiments expressed in the survey should encourage investors and serve as a reminder that the popularity of pot is no mere “fad.”

The coronavirus pandemic has fostered consumer panic, prompting the hoarding of foods, toiletries, and other basic necessities. But how has COVID-19 affected marijuana consumers? Let’s drill down into the survey for insights.

Major takeaways:

1. Across the board, the surveyed U.S. marijuana consumers would prefer food, face masks, hand sanitizers, and toilet paper over marijuana if they had to choose among these items.
2. Among these necessary items during the COVID-19 pandemic, a surprising 28% of the 990 participants would prefer marijuana above face masks.
3. It’s also stunning that 5% of the same participants value marijuana above food. I’m not sure how forsaking food for marijuana would work in practical terms, but it testifies to pot’s deep popularity.

Major takeaways:

1. 49% of participants have hoarded marijuana products during the coronavirus pandemic while 51% have not.

In a clear sign that marijuana has become a mainstream consumer product, several states and localities have deemed recreational and medical pot as “essential,” amid a coronavirus pandemic that’s devastating the retail industry as a whole. Accordingly, pot sales are surging to record highs amid the outbreak.

Read This Story: Reefer Madness: COVID19 Fuels Pot Hoarding

As the coronavirus pandemic cripples social and economic life in the U.S., consumers are flocking to marijuana to treat their ailments or to simply relieve the stress of quarantine. Many are hoarding weed, worried that the health crisis will cause supply to dry up.

Major takeaways:

1. 55% of those stocking pot said they did so to calm themselves during the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, 22% of them didn’t even care about the pandemic but just wanted to stock up on some marijuana to relax at home.
2. The other 23% stocked up on marijuana because they feared a pandemic-induced marijuana product shortage.

To collect the data shown above, AmericanMarijuana.org surveyed 990 respondents in March who are U.S marijuana consumers. The above data represents salient excerpts of the longer results.

The study underscores an investment truism: invest in products that people will always want, in good times or bad. And when it comes to providing a product that people crave the world over, marijuana certainly passes the test.

A consumer staple…

Separate studies also reveal the “mainstreaming” of pot. According to a recent YouGov poll, a majority of Americans believe that medical cannabis dispensaries should be kept open as essential services amid the coronavirus pandemic.

What’s more, new statistics reveal that seniors are by far the fastest-growing pot demographic in the United States. Grandma and grandpa are flocking to marijuana, both for medicinal and recreational purposes.

Cannabis use by senior citizens is up by a whopping 75% from just three years ago, according to a recent study from the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. The spike in use by older Americans continues a trend that has been unfolding for more than a decade. The trend is especially important for marijuana companies with substantial exposure to states with a high population of seniors, notably Florida.

The increasing legalization of recreational and medicinal marijuana is one of the biggest business trends today. Pot is becoming a multi-billion dollar industry, with profound implications for consumer society.

As the marijuana industry grows, it will revitalize communities and businesses that have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, by creating more jobs for citizens of varied educational levels and skill sets. As legalization spreads throughout the U.S., it will spawn new industries, a need for product innovation and force existing companies to rethink their products and services.

The COVID-19 pandemic is re-shaping our economy and consumer behaviors in ways that are beneficial for the marijuana industry. The crisis has helped cement marijuana’s status as a mainstream business.

As cannabis becomes a consumer staple, some cannabis equities are superb investments. But many others are not. You need to conduct due diligence.

The good news is, our stock-picking experts have unearthed hidden gems in canna-business that most investors don’t even know about. To learn the details of the best marijuana plays now, click here for a free report.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Marijuana Investing Daily. You can reach him at: mailbag@investingdaily.com