Ground Weed and Pre-Rolls Explode in Popularity in Canada… Southern Neighbours Still Not So Sure

 

In the past, cannabis consumers generally preferred to buy their weed whole and grind it themselves. However, it seems that in Canada, this is changing, and more and more consumers are now willing to purchase pre-ground cannabis, which was once considered “mids,” or worse, “Boof.” Heady bois groan from their studio apartments in Denver, but as mentioned earlier on this site, fans of pre-ground flower have no time for that negativity. Consumers are voting with their wallets.

It shouldn’t need defining, but here we go, pre-ground or milled weed is available in a ready-to-use form, which can be easily poured into your vape, pipe, or pre-rolled cone.

According to data generated by Seattle-based cannabis researchers Headset Analytics, pre-ground cannabis had a rather negligible presence in the burgeoning Canadian market at the start of 2020. However, fast forward and by December 2022, it occupied a significant share at 7.3% of Canadians’ flower purchases. This data was obtained through tracking in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan and reported by MJBizDaily.

“That’s very, very much a significant portion of the highest-revenue category,” Headset Analytics Manager Cooper Ashley said.

What’s more is that brands are growing devoted fanbases who come back and ask for them by name.

“We were, in my opinion, probably a month too late jumping on that trend, even though customers were asking us for it,” said Cavion, founder of two Calyx + Trichomes stores in Kingston, Ontario.

Perhaps another boost to purchases of pre-ground bud is infused products. It’s becoming more common on shelves and delivery menus all over the world to see massive selections of infused pre-ground and pre-rolls. This gives the product that little extra kick chronic chronic smokers like. Growers used to throw out their trim. Now they grind it up with bud, pack it into pre-rolls that they roll in trim bin kief and sell at a premium. It’s really a win-win. People love the product, growers get to turn what once was waste into gold.

Apart from its convenience, there are several other advantages to purchasing pre-ground weed. One such benefit is the price point, and you know stoners love a deal. In fact, pre-ground cannabis often retails at a lower price point than whole flower, with an average price of around $4 CAD or approximately $3 USD per gram. This marks a significant decrease from the average price of $7 CAD or $5.25 USD in early 2020.

This trend of buying pre-ground weed is not as popular in the United States, where it currently only makes up about 0.9% of the total flower market share. One possible reason for the relatively slow adoption of pre-ground weed in the USA could be its negative reputation. Some Canadian Entrepreneurs have admitted that they were initially hesitant to stock pre-ground weed due to its less-than-stellar reputation.

“In the early days of legalization in Canada, I don’t think the perception was there for milled flower – I think it was seen as maybe inferior to other products,” – Maria Guest, Pure Sunfarms Vice President

Despite its plus sides, it just wasn’t cool in the beginning. That changed incredibly fast. The verdict is still out whether Americans are simply snobs or if the pre-ground weed in Canada is just better.

You know what else Canadians love? Canadians love pre-rolls. If you need further proof Canadians love convenience, according to data also provided by Headset Analytics and reported on MJBizDaily, the market for infused pre-rolls in Canada has experienced an astounding growth of nearly 1,100% within a year.

(Still reading this?! I know you want a pre-roll now!)

I think again here the variety available on the shelves in mind boggling numbers. Smokers today have options from the bottom of the shelf to the top, infused, coated, premium, hash filled, whatever you can imagine, someone is rolling it up into a joint, sticking it in a little plastic tube and willing to sell it to you. Our little monkey brains can’t help but buy them up like candy and enjoy them. Listen, I am that heady boi, and I buy pre-rolls. They are awesome.

To be fair it is doubtful that heady bois everywhere are going to pawn their Motherships and custom bangers to load up on pre-ground cannabis.These are not the same markets and that’s okay. That’s the beauty of a legal market, it creates a massive variation of products that may never have been available otherwise. In the same way, a lot of consumers are just looking for an easy way to get blazed, and a familiar bag of ground up stuff to roll your own cigarettes like a hipster outside a music venue. Good for all 7.9% of them.

You know what else is awesome? Kief.

Just saying. If you’re rolling Js, you might as well pick up some of that to top it all off.

By Richard “Dick” Weed, Ganja Guru and Guest Contributor, for Potsmart