Welcome to my latest Weekly Weed Report video presentation. Below is a condensed transcript; my video contains additional details and several charts.

State-level legalization of marijuana is accelerating, with a slew of measures on state ballots for the November midterm elections that would further transition weed into the mainstream. Consuming marijuana is becoming an ordinary consumer practice.

Read This Story: Midterms 2022: Don’t Step on The Grass

As the legal infrastructure regarding marijuana changes, so too are consumption behaviors. New research, released this week from New Frontier Data and the marijuana software firm Jointly, looks at these emerging patterns, to give a deeper look at the everyday world of weed.

As an investor, you need to stay apprised of these shifting realities, because they provide insights into the strategically most advantageous places to put your money. Let’s look at the highlights.

Flower power…

Flower is the most frequently used product type, used in 60% of consumption sessions reported among purposeful consumers. Vapes (24%) and dabs (8%) are the second- and third-most commonly used products, respectively. Together, these three inhalable forms account for 92% of consumption sessions reported.

What, exactly, is cannabis flower?

“Flower” refers to the smokeable, leafy part of a cannabis plant. Flower derives its popularity from its versatility and ease of use. It can be rolled into a joint or blunt; it can be smoked using a pipe or bong. It’s even usable for cooking.

For many marijuana consumers, flower confers greater pleasure because it’s tactile and a convenient vehicle for social situations and sharing. Traditional marijuana consumption patterns that go all the way back to the 1960s have endured up to the present day.

Shares of product types used do not differ significantly by gender. A slightly higher share of use sessions involve flower among males (62%) than among females (60%). Conversely, edibles represent a slightly higher share of use sessions for females.

As the holiday season approaches, marijuana entrepreneurs are aware of the fact that marijuana edibles (candies, pastries, etc.) and consumer products infused with cannabidiol (CBD) are as popular as old-fashioned Christmas cookies. To get high, Santa no longer needs reindeer.

Vapes and dabs make up relatively greater shares of use sessions among younger than older consumers. Conversely, edibles and tinctures are relatively more often used among older consumers than among younger consumers.

In half (50%) of reported use sessions, consumers were alone. The next most common use sessions included companions ranging from significant others (22%), to friends (15%), or family (10%). Consumers report being alone during at least half of sessions for all goals. Social uses primarily involve friends, while intimacy most often involves a significant other.

Most marijuana consumption occurs at home: 64% inside and 15% outside, for a total of 79%. Even in places where marijuana is legal, consumers are still reticent to make a public display of their consumption. The stigma of cannabis is disappearing, but it still lingers.

Ages 58-76 are the most likely cohort to consume at home. Though consuming at home is also predominant for the 42-57 age group, those consumers are the most likely to partake outside the home.

“Relax & refresh” and “relieve everyday stress” were the most popular goals reported. “Recover from exercise”, “stimulate your appetite”, “enhance intimacy” and “replace other substances” were the least common aims chosen.

It’s noteworthy that for marijuana consumers, the experience is much more than just THC, the psychoactive ingredient that conveys the “high.” Product quality and formulation also are crucial factors, which opens opportunities for purveyors that create strong brand differentiation.

Pot prohibition is doomed…

Whether you’re for or against marijuana legalization, it’s coming. The data I’ve just reviewed shows that marijuana is becoming as commonplace a consumer product as beer and soda.

Fact is, it’s only a matter of time before marijuana is legalized on the federal level. This seismic event would unleash a tsunami of marijuana profits.

To get ahead of the curve, I urge you to read my new book: The Wide World of Weed and Psychedelics. The product of years of painstaking research, my book is now available for sale. Click here to order your copy.

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

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