Snoop Dogg Shatters Cannabis Clichés: Consumers Are Highly Educated, Successful, Motivated

The long-standing, negative stereotypes about cannabis consumers have contributed to a decades-long stigma that lingers to this date, even as legalization spreads across the world while birthing one of the fastest-growing industries of our time.

But new data aims to erase these harmful stereotypes forever. 

Clearing The Air

Cannabis tech company dutchie conducted a study of 5,000 adult cannabis consumers from the U.S. in 2021 and Canada, seeking to provide a more accurate understanding of the modern cannabis user. The data revealed that contrary to the outdated “Dazed and Confused” depiction, today’s cannabis consumers are successful, motivated and health-conscious people. 

“I smoke cannabis, and advocate for it on a personal level, but I'm also an investor and entrepreneur. The opportunity in cannabis is clear, and this data highlights that consumers are highly educated, with more buying power than these stereotypes would have you believe,” Snoop Dogg, co-founder of Casa Verde Capital, an investor in dutchie, commented when prompted about the results.

See also: Did Wiz Khalifa Just Take A Swing At Snoop? 'I'll Never Hire A Weed Roller Cause No One Rolls Better Than Me'

According to the study, cannabis consumers are highly educated — 54% have a college degree or higher — and more are likely to participate in the workforce than the average American.

Cannabis consumers are not just stoners: They are high-achieving doctors, lawyers, mothers, teachers, creatives, Olympic athletes, and Olympic commentators, says Ross Lipson, co-founder and CEO of dutchie.

“It’s time to set the record straight once and for all. Negative stigmas around cannabis — not to mention overcriminalization — must be a thing of the past…. People use cannabis to relax and as a crucial element of a health and wellness routine, and we should encourage people to share the benefits cannabis brings for them.”

Cannabis consumers are also predominantly female, especially as conversations about women’s health expand to include using cannabis for relief from things like menstrual pain and to help with sleep or stress.

An Active Lifestyle

The myth of cannabis users as sedentary slackers is simply unfounded, the report suggests.

58% of respondents reported being physically active and enjoying hiking and sports. Furthermore, 57% called themselves health-conscious.

Overall, these people think cannabis is better for their health than alcohol or tobacco, and many consider it a part of their overall health routine.

How does the modern consumer want to get their cannabis?

Legally and through a safe, transparent, and convenient shopping experience.

55% of respondents look to dispensaries for that experience, while twenty-four percent prefer to shop online. The back alley transaction has been replaced by touchscreens and trusted budtenders. 

See also: Cannabis Vapes That Will Blow Your Mind

“Consumers want to buy cannabis legally and conveniently,” explains Lipson. “At dutchie, we’re building best-in-class technology to empower our dispensary partners to make cannabis accessible to all while opening people’s minds to the good that cannabis can do.”

Overall, the survey suggests that cannabis users are a diverse group of intelligent and hardworking contributing community members.

No more “Pineapple Express” portrayals, please, the researchers say.

Cannabis users are friends, parents, grandparents, stress-relievers, medicinal users, and everything in between. The data paints a fuller picture of the modern consumer — one that should help normalize cannabis use in the mainstream as legalization spreads worldwide.

Lee en Español: Estudio: los Consumidores de Marihuana Son Exitosos, Motivados y Sanos… y Snoop Dogg Tiene Algo que Decir al Respecto

This article was originally published on Forbes and appears here with permission.

Photo: TechCrunch, CC BY 2.0, vía Wikimedia Commons. Edits: Natalia Kesselman

Original publication: 2021