Because of the recent health and wellness trend, cannabis is gaining popularity for being a gluten-free, no calorie substitute for alcoholic beverages.
One of the most common stereotypes to circulate around the cannabis scene over the past several decades is that people who use marijuana are lazy, unemployed wastes of space. But according to the latest data from market research company BDS Analytics, this is not the case with the majority. In fact, it is safe to say that the average cannabis consumer — at least with respect to the modern day user in the newly legal climate — is more active and productive than anyone else in the throes of the daily grind.
Researchers at BDS found that 43% of cannabis consumers are busy with outdoors activities several times a week. This is significantly higher that non-cannabis users, according to the data. Only 25% of this group admitted to getting off their back cracks long enough to engage in activities outside the house.
Another interesting tidbit from the study is that cannabis users are more concerned about their overall health and wellness. Researchers found that around 40% regularly attend a gym or fitness center, which was about 10 points higher than non-users. This should come as no surprise. It’s like legendary stoner icon Tommy Chong once said (we’re paraphrasing, of course), “You’ve got to be in shape to do drugs, man.”
This pursuit of health and wellness is now a major trend across the United States. A recent analysis from Rabobank found that, because of this, cannabis is gaining popularity for being a gluten-free, no calorie substitute for alcoholic beverages.
So while the cannabis community is more conscious these days of their physical fitness, people who have traditionally used booze to fuel their buzz are starting to experiment more with marijuana in order to avoid packing on unwanted pounds. The consensus is that as long as the cannabis industry keeps marketing products that do not force users to “smoke,” more alcohol consumers will put down the wine glass for weed.
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But the cannabis community is not just smoking weed and playing outdoors — this demographic is a large part of the workforce. The BDS data shows that 53% of marijuana consumers are gainfully employed with a full time job. And not the typical low-wage jobs that only stoners can get because they cannot pass a drug test either. The report indicates that the average annual income for cannabis users is around $70,000 per year.
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“Things are changing so fast in respect to cannabis,” Linda Gilbert, managing director of consumer insights at BDS Analytics, told Forbes. “We are already seeing major shifts in such a short amount of time. Some of that has to do with changes in legalization, what’s happening in distribution and retail systems, and brands. But it’s clear that open conversation about cannabis is happening more now than ever before, and it’s affecting everything from attitudes to opinions to consumption.”