It has effected music, politics and shopping – now TikTok is upending cannabis
It may be best known for dance challenges, skincare hacks, and viral recipes — but it’s also reshaping how millions of millennials and Gen Z discover cannabis. Now TikTok is changing the cannabis industry. While the platform doesn’t allow direct advertising for marijuana products, clever creators and influencers are finding ways to showcase strains, lifestyle trends, and cannabis culture in ways influencing consumer behavior far beyond dispensary walls.
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Scroll through TikTok and you’ll find everything from “strain reviews in 30 seconds” to cooking tutorials featuring CBD, to clips explaining the difference between indica and sativa. Many of these videos rack up millions of views in just days, creating overnight hype for products once limited to small local markets. A catchy song paired with a visually appealing cannabis product can quickly become a trend, and suddenly dispensaries across the country are fielding calls from customers asking for an exact strain.
Industry experts say TikTok is doing for cannabis what Instagram once did for craft cocktails and boutique fitness. It’s creating a new kind of digital word-of-mouth. In some cases, certain strains — like “Zaza” or “Blue Zushi” — went from relative obscurity to must-try sensations after trending on the app. Dispensary owners report customers walking in with their phones open, asking for products they’ve just seen in a TikTok video.
For millennials, TikTok serves as both entertainment and education. Instead of reading lengthy articles or browsing product menus, they can absorb bite-sized cannabis tips while scrolling during a coffee break. Videos breaking down THC percentages, terpene profiles, or microdosing strategies are making cannabis more accessible to curious users who may have been intimidated by dispensary jargon in the past.
The ripple effect is also being felt in branding. Cannabis companies are now thinking about how their packaging, visuals, and even product names might look on a phone screen. Bright colors, playful fonts, and shareable unboxing moments are becoming as important as potency. For an industry still facing advertising restrictions on traditional platforms, TikTok has become an indirect but powerful marketing tool.
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Of course, this influence doesn’t come without controversy. Since cannabis remains federally illegal in the U.S., TikTok technically restricts content promoting its use. That hasn’t stopped creators from getting creative, using slang, emojis, or indirect language to skirt moderation. The result is a thriving subculture operating just under the radar — but is reaching millions of potential customers.
For millennials balancing busy lives, TikTok offers a quick, relatable, and often entertaining gateway into cannabis culture. And whether you’re a casual consumer, a wellness-focused CBD fan, or a curious newcomer, one thing is clear: TikTok is no longer just about viral dances — it’s helping decide what cannabis ends up in shopping carts.
