Canna Moms And Dank Dads: The Impact Of Cannabis On Mother's And Father's Day Gifting

By Liz Connors, Director of Analytics for Headset.

Once a year, children have a chance to really pamper the parents. I’m not talking about candles for mom and a tie for dad. Oh no, kids. You gotta up your game these days.

And in states where cannabis is finally legal, your Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts can be lit -- literally.

According to the National Retail Federation, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day spending this year was expected to reach a record $25 billion and $16 billion, respectively. Data from Headset, a data analytics company in the cannabis industry, shows some of that money was spent on cannabis products.

Yes, even when it is hard to say exactly how much, the lift in cannabis purchases was tangible during both weekend celebrations.

About $46 million was spent on cannabis during Mother’s Day weekend in Washington, Colorado, Nevada and California. In those same states, about $50 million was dropped on Father’s Day weekend.

When comparing Mother's Day weekend sales in 2019 to the previous four weekends, Headset saw category and segment increases similar to their Mother's Day 2018 analysis. The most noticeable increases included:

• Drops, mixes, elixirs and syrups, up 32 percent
• Bath salts, soaks and scrubs, up 35 percent
• Tea, coffee and hot cocoa, up 72 percent
• Lip balm, up 50 percent
• Transdermal products, up 40 percent

Pre-roll sales were up 8 percent when compared to previous weekends, which is also similar to what happened in 2018. This feeds Headset’s theory that maybe people want to unwind from a day with mom or perhaps mom is unwinding from a day with the kids!

Leading the way for dad were mocktails, resins and cannagars with an 80+ percent increase in sales combined. Other growth areas were:

• Lip balm, up 79 percent 
• Breath strips and sublingual pouches, up 55 percent
• Topicals, up 10 percent
• Beverages, up 7 percent

If you dropped the ball in 2019, you can redeem yourself in 2020. Headset predicts the biggest jump in sales for mom will be in line with 2018 and 2019 numbers. The best bet will be for tea, coffee and cocoa, as well as bath salts, soaks and scrubs. For dad, predicted big sellers are mocktails, cannagars, lip balm and sublinguals.

In this growing industry, the possibilities for cannabis gifts are endless, really. Know what your parents like and think outside the box.

If mom is a weed smoker, instead of a vase full of pretty flowers that will die in a week, how about a water pipe from My Bud Vase? It’s about the same price, just as pretty (if not prettier) and mom can use it over and over and over again. If she doesn’t smoke, but loves her edibles, she’ll flip over the Magical Butter Machine.

Dad like gadgets? The Nuggy is like a Swiss Army Knife for smokers. Dad will think about you every time he rolls, grinds, packs or vapes. If he’s a gardener, hook him up with some seeds.

If you need some help, there’s an online Cannabis Gift Catalog with 200+ weed related gifts.

And for those of you who are still in shock that your parents smoke weed, there’s help out there for you too.

Today’s Parent tackles the taboo topic in an online article. Why is it ok for mom to joke about needing that glass of wine but if dad mentions firing up the bong, the world may end? (Spoiler alert: there should be no difference.) The Stoner Mom is another resource for parents and kids alike. It’s all about a responsible cannabis lifestyle.

It’s worth noting that in 2020, many of the Gen Zers will come of age, opening opportunities for the newest class of legal cannabis users to partake with their parents. Scary? Nah. Some call it the ultimate sign of adulthood, and for others, it’s a learning experience. Either way, how cool is it that we live in a world where it’s a legal option? It’s cool, very cool.

Lead photo by Javier Hasse. Cannabis jewelry by Caos y Fortuna.

Charts in article courtesy of Headset.

The preceding article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.