Cannabis Purchases By Gender: Report Says Women Have 'More Nuanced Methods Of Consumption'

Cannabis business intelligence company Headset released a report this week on cannabis industry shopping trends by gender. The report provides insights into the year-over-year shopping patterns and differences between men and women.

The Findings

Women made one-third of the cannabis market purchases for the period covered by the Headset report.

Women prefer edibles, topicals, tinctures and sublinguals, while men prefer concentrates, flower and vaporizer pens.

Both genders bought cannabis flower, vaporizer pens and edibles the most. Flower sales continued to trend down, making up 45.4 percent of the male market and 40.8 percent for women. Vaporizers accounted for 23.5 percent of the men's market and 22.3 percent for women. Edibles made up 13.8 percent of the women's market and 10.1 percent for men.

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From 2017 to 2018, women's spending increased 47 percent for topicals, a product that accounted for 22.2 percent of women's purchases. At the same time, the market grew 42 percent for tinctures and sublinguals. Vapor pens gained 19 percent over the period.

The report pointed out that no single product or category is exclusive to any sex, though women engage in "more nuanced methods of consumption," with an emphasis on low-dose products.

The top three items purchased by women were:

• Humboldt Apothecary 3:1 Calm CBD Tincture
• Papa & Barkley's Releaf Balm
• Kiva - Milk Chocolate Blueberry Terra Bites

Market Influencers

Headset's report notes that gender is an influence on purchases and decision making. Its data found that women are more interested in using cannabis for wellness, including sleep, anxiety and sexual pleasure.

"Female shoppers prefer edibles, topicals and tinctures and sublinguals as opposed to men, who buy significantly more concentrates, flower, and vape pens," the report said.

Related links:

Nielsen, Headset, Deloitte Form Strategic Alliance To Provide Canadian Cannabis Data

Report: Cannabis Product Demand Rose 20% In The Last Year