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Cannabis Drinks Look for Their Place Among Users

Abuzz with excitement about the potential to transform the way that people are consuming cannabis, the drinks sector is appealing primarily to the high end of the market.

Bethany Gomez, managing director for Brightfield Group, presented at the Cannabis Drinks Expo in Chicago about trends in the industry.
Bethany Gomez, managing director for Brightfield Group, presented at the Cannabis Drinks Expo in Chicago about trends in the industry.

As marijuana use becomes increasingly legalized and less marginalized, one sector seen to have considerable potential is the cannabis drinks market. “So far today, the industry is making some interesting inroads, and it’s continuing to grow in sophistication,” says Bethany Gomez, managing director at Brightfield Group, which provides market insights for the emerging CBD and cannabis industries. “But it has not yet reached its level of potential.”

Bethany Gomez, managing director for Brightfield Group, presented at the Cannabis Drinks Expo in Chicago about trends in the industry.Bethany Gomez, managing director for Brightfield Group, presented at the Cannabis Drinks Expo in Chicago about trends in the industry.In a presentation at the Cannabis Drinks Expo this past fall in Chicago, Gomez addressed what it would take to scale the potential for cannabis drinks. Potential is considerable, she notes. In 2021, the sector accounted for just over 2% of the U.S. cannabis market overall, and 3% of Canada’s overall cannabis market, Gomez says.

Who’s the consumer?

To better grow the market, it’s important to understand who the consumer is—and what they’re looking for out of their drinks.

It’s primarily the high-end cannabis consumers that are turning toward cannabis drinks, Gomez says, with a typical household income of $150,000 or more. That’s perhaps not surprising, given that cannabis drinks tend to be expensive, and consumers are likely seeing them as more of an indulgence. As Gomez puts it, “This is never going to be the cheapest way to get high.”


Watch video   Watch Take 5: A Cannabis Market Update, beginning at 2:15 in the video.

They come from stable, established households. Almost three-fourths of the cannabis drinks consumers are partnered or married, and 69% have children in the household.

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