Puff, Puff, Purchase: What Drives Cannabis Gear Decisions?

There is a myriad of ways to consume cannabis. From joints to bowls to dabs, with access to legal cannabis has come the diversification of the cannabis accessory market. Even among those who choose to smoke their cannabis, there is an array of options for getting the cannabis into your body. We looked at a sample of 1900 cannabis consumers who all report smoking as their method of consumption to determine if age, gender or being a medical/recreational consumer was related to accessory choice and the decision to purchase something new. What we found is that motivation for consumption is more important than demographics when predicting the use of cannabis accessories and the motivation to buy new ones.

Across age groups and genders, the use of various accessories and motivation to buy new accessories was similar except for in a few cases. However, when looking at medical and recreational consumers, stark differences began to emerge. This tells us that motivations for consumption and whether someone is using cannabis for a health condition or for fun has implications for how they choose to consume and when they decide to use a different method.

Blunt wraps are rolling papers are the most common accessories used for consumers in every age group and both genders. For those who dab, E-rigs were more popular, but dabbing overall is very rare among those 55+, as is using a dry herb vaporizer. Although rates among genders were similar for many methods of consumption, men are more likely to use a water pipe and blunt wraps/rolling papers than women. Broken equipment was the biggest driver of buying new equipment across both age and gender. Family/friends don’t have much influence, and buying new equipment to consume a different form of cannabis was negatively correlated with age and a reason given more often by men than women.

Unlike age and gender, we see some larger differences among those using cannabis for medical vs. recreational purposes. Medical consumers were more likely to report using both glass and e-rigs, as well as dry herb vaporizers. Recreational consumers were more likely to report using blunt wraps/papers. This reflects both the need of medical consumers to use more highly potent products, and the health awareness of the potential effects of regular smoking on their conditions.

In addition to which accessories they use, medical and recreational consumers differ in their motivations to buy new equipment. While both are still mostly motivated by their current equipment breaking, medical consumers are more likely to acquire new equipment to use different forms of cannabis and if a healthier option became available, recreational consumers are more likely to do so if they find an interesting product or based on the recommendations of friends/family.

With more cannabis retailers offering consumption tools in their shops, knowing who the audience is for these various accessories is just as important as knowing who likes flower vs. concentrate and who is motivated by terpenes and single origin edibles. As the gear for consuming continues to evolve, the segmentation of consumers using them will be refined as well.