Yo, check it fam! In the last year and a half, your people been droppin’ mad cash on them pre-rolled joints—over $4.1 billion, ya feel me? According to the latest scoop from the industry homies, these pre-rolls now hold it down for about 15.9% of the whole cannabis market. That ain’t no small change!
The report, put together by the crew at Custom Cones USA, teamed up with the cannabis data peeps at Headset, who be collectin’ all the info from sales in a dozen states across the U.S. This is their third time breakin’ down the pre-roll scene, and lemme tell ya, they ain’t holdin’ back on the numbers.
Infused Pre-Rolls on the Rise
One of the hottest trends out there is them specialty infused pre-rolls, which be sellin’ like hotcakes as a premium product. They pack in that marijuana concentrate, and because of that, they be costin’ a lil’ more than your average roll. In fact, these premium goodies made up almost half (44 percent) of the pre-roll market in the first half of 2024. That’s some serious dough!
Harrison Bard, the CEO and co-founder of Custom Cones, said, “Every year we hunker down and peep the story the data be tellin’. Thanks to our partners at Headset, we see clear that pre-rolls is still killin’ it in the game.” Pre-rolls be sittin’ pretty in third place for product types at dispensaries, right behind raw flower and vape pens.
Market Growth and Sales Surge
Now, from January 2023 to June 2024, pre-rolls saw what they call “a meteoric increase in market share.” They climbed from 13.2% to 15.9% during that time. If you look back even further, this ain’t just a fluke. Pre-rolls been on the come-up since 2020 when they were chillin’ at just 9.8%. Can you believe that? Sales exploded from $469 million in 2019 to a whopping $2.7 billion in 2023. That’s like six times the cash, y’all!
Now don’t get it twisted; the prices be droppin’ too. Pre-rolls went from $7.80 a pop in January 2023 to $6.50 by June 2024—about a 16.7% decrease. But don’t sleep on it; the total sales volume is through the roof! They went from 15.9 million pre-rolls sold in January to a record-breaking 26 million in June 2024. Numbers don’t lie, homie!
Consumer Preferences
The report breaks it down even further, sayin’ that both consumers and businesses pickin’ pre-rolls mainly look at price and THC potency. Other factors in the mix include strain, paper type, packaging, and brand loyalty. We know how it go—everyone tryna get the best bang for their buck while enjoyin’ that good green.
Connoisseur and Infused Trends
Now, Custom Cones been noticing a shift towards what they call the “connoisseur/infused” pre-rolls. Producers been pushin’ out high-end products for years now, and this segment held an average of 34.4% share of the pre-roll category across the 12 tracked markets. That share shot up to 41.5% in 2023, and it ain’t stoppin’—44.4% in the first half of 2024. Seems like folks are lovin’ them premium products!
Engaging with Consumers
Custom Cones and their DaySavers brand been at the forefront of some dope engagement efforts with consumers. They even offered 200 volunteers $4.20 to smoke two pre-rolls and give feedback for a study they call the “Science of Smokeability,” which is a collab with the Cannabis Research Coalition. They tryna level up the quality and consistency of these products.
They also dropped a campaign earlier this year lookin’ for a content creator to live the “ultimate stoner dream job” where you get paid to smoke weed! That gig come with a fat paycheck of $70,420 plus perks like cannabis testing and all-expenses-paid trips to marijuana events. Snoop Dogg would be proud, ya know?
Final Thoughts
So, there ya have it! The pre-roll market is blowin’ up, and consumers in America are all in, spendin’ billions to roll up and chill. As the scene evolves, it’s clear that pre-rolls are here to stay, and they got the numbers to back it up. Keep your eyes peeled, ‘cause this ride is just gettin’ started!
