The election and holiday season is upon us. So it’s time to settle the toughest questions. Which is better? Smoking weed before a meal, or after? Let’s put this to rest once and for all. The eternal question When it comes to pairing weed with food, timing can be everything. So, what’s your move? Are […]

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Save dough on the good-good without breaking a sweat.

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The day before Thanksgiving, often referred to as “Green Wednesday” in the cannabis industry, saw a record number of sales once again. According to data collected by Jane Technologies, recreational sales on Nov. 22 reached $9,209,061.73—an 18.12% increase from Green Friday sales data in 2022, which landed at $7,795,803,80 last year.

Adult-use cannabis sales on Nov. 22 had also increased by 90.5% in comparison to sales on the three previous Wednesdays, including Nov. 1, Nov. 8, and Nov. 15, which collected a total of $4,833,890.74.

In products for Green Wednesday sales, flower led the way with the most sales, clocking in at $3,352,845.91, followed by vape-related products at $2,533,166.62, edibles at $1,207,840.33, pre-rolls at $963,026.92, and lastly, extracts with $448,520.89.

According to its website, Jane Technologies serves dispensaries in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. Among these, the states with the highest sales revenue included Illinois ($2,868,215.31), California ($1,084,388.39), New Jersey ($880,127.66), Maryland ($758,727.23), and Washington ($709,599.95).

Jane Technologies CEO and Cofounder, Socrates Rosenfeld, said in a press statement to Business of Cannabis that the cannabis industry’s future is continuing to grow.  “As we approach 2024, the US cannabis industry finds itself at an exciting point in time. With the government’s recent actions on issues like SAFER and rescheduling, the end of cannabis prohibition has never felt closer to becoming a reality,” Rosenfeld said in a press release. “With future consumer growth expected to be exponential and large mainstream brands anticipated to enter the space, current Industry operators must continue to invest in scalable solutions to remain competitive.”

Medical cannabis sales on Green Wednesday, however, continue to drop. While medical sales reached $8,166,102.75, it was an 11.1% decline compared to last year’s sales at $9,191,493.38.

Product popularity was similar to that of adult use sales, with a slight variation. Medical cannabis flowers reached $3,922,135.11, followed by vape-related products at $2,174,895.66, edibles at $896,241.66, extracts $592,565.12, and lastly, pre-rolls at $327,542.51.

The states with the highest collection of sales varies a bit more than that of the adult-use sales, with Pennsylvania in the lead ($2,577,176.05), followed by Florida ($1,229,439.36), Ohio ($756,845.71), Maryland ($585,176.82), and Virginia ($561,534.87).

Black Friday reports are still rolling in, but traffic was high in many markets. Reports from Michigan show long lines and interest for special deals, according to Levels general manager Drew McCarthy. “Black Friday is a big stressful day, after a big stressful day,” said McCarthy. “So, we wanted to give back to people and be able to have them not just take back the product they bought, but something extra to go and share with people around them and kind of go and promote that holiday spirit.” 

According to BDSA data analyst Brendan Mitchel-Chesebro, Black Friday weekend continues  to reflect increased interest and traffic. “Black Friday consistently experiences the highest surge in cannabis sales of any holiday, other than 420,” Brendan Mitchel-Chesebro said, according to The Fresh Toast. “These insights are important for retailers looking to optimize their holiday strategies. By preparing for increased foot traffic with increased staff and an ample supply of popular products instead of leaning into promotions, retailers will win with consumers this holiday season.”

Green Wednesday and Black Friday continue to be one of the major cannabis sales holidays of the year. This year, some state cannabis agencies joined in to promote sales and support. The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) posted on social media to deter black market sales and encourage legal sales. “Don’t follow the hordes of shoppers today! Friday shop smart, shop licensed cannabis,” DCC wrote online. “To find your nearest licensed retailer please visit: https://search.cannabis.ca.gov/retailers.”

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) shared efforts to support cannabis dispensaries as small businesses.” While you grab some #BlackFriday deals, take a note from #NYCCB member, Hope Knight and support #SmallBusinessSaturdays at one of your local dispensaries,” OCM wrote. 

Additionally in Connecticut on Thanksgiving Day, liquor stores were closed and other stores that sell alcohol and were open on that day were not permitted to sell alcohol. However, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection issued a notice stating that cannabis sales are permitted on Thanksgiving.

The holiday season is also the time of year we begin to see cannabis brands offering support to local communities. Puff Cannabis handed out an estimated 2,500 turkeys this year for people in need, which was twice the amount that the brand gave out in 2022. “The goal of Puff Cannabis Company from the beginning has been to offer top- notch cannabis products while building a knowledgeable and customer-focused team,” said Puff Cannabis founder Justin Elias. “We are honored to have grown to 12 dispensary locations throughout Michigan in only four years, with many locations on tap to open in 2024.”

MariMed, which operates in Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, and Delaware, announced that it would be donating 800 turkeys this year as well. “Doing our part to support the communities we serve is an important part of MariMed’s mission to improve people’s lives every day,” said MariMed CEO Jon Levine. “This is the third consecutive year of our Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, which has become a wonderful tradition that our entire MariMed family rallies behind. We’re proud that we can help ease the financial burden for so many people at this time of year.”

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Dispensaries are doing their part to help others to feel the true spirit of thankfulness this Thanksgiving with a round of free turkeys. In recent years, Green Wednesday, which falls on the day before Thanksgiving, has become the cannabis industry’s second-highest grossing day of sales, and a big day for promotional giveaways. Like last year, many cannabis companies are joining the holiday spirit and running their own turkey drives with free turkeys for people in need.

Thanksgiving is a holiday people in the New World have celebrated since 1621, with a feast, and dispensaries can help if you can’t afford it this year. High Times found a handful of dispensaries that are participating in turkey drives this year.

Puff Cannabis Company plans to give away hundreds of free turkeys this week. The Madison Heights, Michigan-based dispensary chain’s second annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway starts today and runs through Friday at Puff stores throughout the tri-county area.

Puff Cannabis founder Justin Elias said they plan to hand out over 2,500 turkeys to people in need—twice the amount of free turkeys distributed last year. “The goal of Puff Cannabis Company from the beginning has been to offer top- notch cannabis products while building a knowledgeable and customer- focused team,” Elias said in a statement. “We are honored to have grown to 12 dispensary locations throughout Michigan in only four years, with many locations on tap to open in 2024.”

There are Puff locations across Michigan including in Bay City, Traverse City, Oscoda, Sturgis, River Rouge, Kalamazoo, and Monroe.

Also in Michigan, former Detroit Red Wings Darren McCarthy’s Light’N Up Cannabis Company gave away the turkeys last weekend. Of the turkeys, 100 were planned to be given to Vet Life, a local nonprofit organization that serves veterans, and 20 turkeys went to the North End Soup Kitchen and several other Flint area churches and organizations.

“Once you get something like this started, it takes on a life of its own and is more fun and more rewarding each year. The gratitude people express is heartwarming,” said Kyle Cohee, store owner. “We’ve been through some tough times here in Flint, and people deserve every single break we can provide. Giving them the central part of a Thanksgiving meal is our honor and our way of thanking the people of Flint for supporting our store.”

MariMed is donating over 800 turkeys in the states where it currently operates, including Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, and Delaware. “Doing our part to support the communities we serve is an important part of MariMed’s mission to improve people’s lives every day,” said CEO Jon Levine. “This is the third consecutive year of our Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, which has become a wonderful tradition that our entire MariMed family rallies behind. We’re proud that we can help ease the financial burden for so many people at this time of year.”

Bulldog Cannabis in Thousand Palms, California is donating 100 turkeys for families in Thousand Palms to have for the Thanksgiving holiday, the dispensary’s annual holiday drive.

The turkeys will be given out from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22 to the first 100 families from Thousand Palms.

Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, spoke on the support by the local business.

“We appreciate Bulldog Cannabis for supporting the community and local families and once again giving back in this way to our unincorporated community of Thousand Palms,” Perez said. “It is a wonderful donation and people are welcome to come by on Wednesday, November 22 and pick up a turkey for the holiday.”

Bulldog Cannabis is the first cannabis business within the unincorporated communities of the Fourth District, and is located in Thousand Palms, the heart of the valley.

Bulldog Cannabis Owner Sam Kapukchyan states, “Bulldog Cannabis is proud to continue the tradition of our turkey giveaway to local Thousand Palms residents. Here at Bulldog, we are all about family caring for others and giving back. Our local Thousand Palms customers have been very loving and supportive of our shop so, on November 22nd, we will be passing out 100 turkeys, one per household to our local Thousand Palms residents, no purchase necessary.”

The turkey giveaway will be a walk-up distribution outside Bulldog Cannabis in Thousand Palms, 72-242 Watt Court.

People who get a turkey should remember to never put a frozen turkey in the deep fryer. That’s why some of the turkey drives are requiring recipients to sign a waiver. They should also make sure that the turkey is completely thawed because oil and water do not mix, and the turkey should thaw in the refrigerator.

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New Frontier Data compared cannabis sales data for the month of November in 2021 and 2022, which shows a shift in sales patterns. While Green Wednesday was the third-highest grossing sales in 2021, sales collected in 2022 on Friday, Nov. 4; Friday, Nov. 11; and Sunday, Nov. 18 were nearly equivalent as Nov. 23 (this year’s Green Wednesday) and Nov. 25 (Black Friday). New Frontier Data consulted many of its leading experts to analyze the reasoning behind this change.

According to New Frontier Data Senior Research Analyst Noah Tomares, the Michigan cannabis industry is evolving rapidly compared to mature markets such as California. “Perhaps the most notable difference in November was how Michigan’s product breakdown stayed similar throughout the month, where in 2021 they favored more edibles and cartridges right before the holiday,” said Tomares. “It’s striking how much more stable Michigan is in 2022 versus what it was ’21, and how much more it looks like California.”

Tomares also added that we’re beginning to see a shift in purchasing behavior as well. “In California, a relatively mature market, purchases remained largely consistent in terms of product breakdowns year-over-year. Michigan consumers last year gravitated towards more subtle or ‘family-friendly’ products such as cartridges and edibles: In 2021, those products spiked from 37% of transactions during the first week of November to 43% for the week of Thanksgiving. This year, the month looked much more normalized, with cartridges and edibles accounting for approximately 40%+ of sales during each week in November.”

New Frontier Data’s Chief Knowledge Officer, Dr. Amanda Reiman, suggests that cannabis normalization is likely the reason that sales aren’t highest on previously predictable days. “I think it’s normalization and increased access nationwide that is driving the change in holiday purchasing,” said Reiman. “Not only are people just more comfortable using their regular products in more places and with more people, but cannabis is available in more states, so there is not as much need to stock up before you go if you can get it wherever you’re headed. Many folks would likely rather wait and buy cannabis at their destination than to take it on a plane.”

Consumers spending time with family and friends on or around the Thanksgiving holiday is also a point to consider. New Frontier Data shared that 44% of consumers source their cannabis from friends or family, and 29% say that it’s their primary source of access. In some medical-only states, as well as those that still don’t have any cannabis legislation, family is the primary source of cannabis.

Previous data has shown that 68% of people consume with others, 21% consume with siblings, 19% with extended family members, 11% with parents, and 6% with their children. Additionally, 85% of consumers say that their family knows about their cannabis use, and 59% say that their family is supportive of consumption.

Thanksgiving-related consumption is also a common practice, where 40% spend time with family or spouses while consuming, 38% report pairing cannabis and eating, and 33% cook with cannabis.

Overall, Tomares believes that these activities will continue to become more normalized over the next few years. “We expect that as markets continue to mature and new markets come online, consumer preferences will become increasingly normalized, and acquisition of cannabis will become increasingly integrated into consumers’ daily routines,” Tomares said. “Already, 48% of consumers report just visiting a dispensary after they run out, as opposed to planning a dedicated trip. With new markets opening with lower barriers to acquisition, consumers may feel less pressure to purchase cannabis before travel or social events. As this plays out, we may see some unofficial holidays playing a less significant role in consumers’ purchase decisions.”

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Cannabis has always paired well with Thanksgiving, both as a way to enjoy the holidays with the people we love, or a way to help increase our tolerance for certain skeptical, judgmental, or opinionated family members. In recent years Green Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving), has become the cannabis industry’s second-highest grossing day of sales.

While the holidays are a great time to reflect on everything we have, it’s also an opportunity to look outside ourselves to help others. Some cannabis businesses have no shortage of altruism as they have created initiatives to aid those in need. Many businesses have made arrangements to give out free turkeys this year or reward customers who donate canned food for a good cause. This list is just a glimpse at the contributions that the cannabis industry brings year after year, but be sure to check out dispensaries near you to see what kind of efforts are underway.

In Michigan, there are a few cannabis businesses pulling out all the stops this year. Puff Cannabis will be giving out 1,700 birds on Nov. 18, and Nov. 21-22 at specific locations. Owner Nick Hannawa told CBS News how important it is to give back. “These things are tough, you know, with prices and inflation and all the things that are going on. Maybe people, you know, are lacking on jobs and different things, you know, might not do this,” Hannawa said. “It’s that feeling that you get, knowing that you did a good deed, that you put a smile on somebody’s face.”

Light’N Up Cannabis Company invited former Detroit Red Wings athlete Darren McCarty to help hand out 1,000 turkeys on Nov. 19. According to owner Kyle Cohee, who is also a veteran, he began this initiative in 2021 when he found out that he served 100 patients who were in need. “We’re just doing the right thing and taking care of people,” Cohee said. “Alpine Market in Linden said they will hook us up and got us the turkeys from Spartan Brand for cost.” Eighty of the turkeys will specifically be reserved for veteran patients, through a partnership with Genesee County Veterans Services.

Multiple Michigan dispensaries are working with Common Citizen and High Life Farms for the “Bring a Can, Get a Gram” campaign. The initiative is striving to collect 2,000 cans to donate to local food pantries, and any customer that brings in at least one can of food will receive one pre-roll. “We want to show people that cannabis isn’t just about consuming. It’s far more than just being a big name company that wants to make money or kind of things like that. We want to show people that as much as we love growing and producing and sharing our love for the product with other people, we want to show other people we care more about helping the community and helping others in need especially around the holidays,” said High Life Farms’s Marketing Manager Laura Bywalec.

MariMed (who you might remember as the company who made the world’s largest infused brownie in December 2021) is offering hundreds of turkeys in a giveaway at its locations in Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, and Delaware. “MariMed is proud to do our part and help others in the communities where we operate. Helping to ease a bit of the financial burden on Thanksgiving and doing what we can to improve people’s lives through our actions, products, and values is core to our mission as a leading cannabis company,” said MariMed CEO Bob Fireman.

In Massachusetts, Terps Cannabis is working with Chip-in-Food-Pantry, asking customers to donate canned food. It’s also celebrating the opening of its third location in Charlton with an event Nov. 18-20, featuring free food from local food trucks.

In Thousand Palms, California, local dispensary Bulldog Cannabis is partnering with Riverside County to provide 100 turkeys to residents (1 per household). “We really appreciate Bulldog Cannabis for providing this generous donation to the community of Thousand Palms,” said Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez. “I look forward to helping in this distribution and thanking this local business for assisting the community with food for the Thanksgiving holiday.”

Oakland, California-based savory edibles company TSUMo is not only offering two new flavors of its savory chips (Turkey Dinner and Churro) but it’s partnering with Wunder (a local cannabis beverage company) and Nugg Club (a cannabis subscription service) to donate $2 for every bundle purchased, which will be given to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.

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Turkey. Stuffing. Cranberry sauce. And a nice platter of pre-rolls? 

It would appear that Thanksgiving will be quite green this year for many Americans celebrating the holiday, according to new survey data released Tuesday.

The study comes courtesy of Ayr Wellness, a self-described “expanding vertically integrated, U.S. multi-state cannabis operator focused on delivering the highest quality cannabis products and customer experience throughout its footprint.”

The findings suggest that more than a few people in the United States will sneak in a toke or two before pumpkin pie is served. Or, as a press release accompanying the survey put it: “Cannabis has finally earned a seat at the table in America.”

According to the data, “37 percent of cannabis consumers plan to serve THC-infused products with their Thanksgiving meal,” while “77 percent of cannabis consumers intend to consume cannabis with family or friends during the holidays.” And it suggests that “American cannabis consumers have become increasingly open about their cannabis habits, with 40 percent planning on consuming openly with family and friends this season.”

“One thing is clear: this Thanksgiving, cannabis is a family affair,” the press release said.

Just as a wave of cannabis legalization has swept over the country in the last 10 years, normalizing something that had long been taboo and scandalized, the findings of the Thanksgiving survey “suggest that cannabis is more mainstream than ever this year and a useful resource for managing family dynamics during the holidays.”

“Over the past decade, cannabis has become increasingly ingrained into the fabric of American culture and tradition, with cannabis sales on Green Wednesday reaching new heights every year,” Jonathan Sandelman, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ayr Wellness, said in the release. “At Ayr Wellness, we’re passionate about enriching lives through this powerful plant by meeting consumers wherever they are in their cannabis journey, from novice to expert. From flower to beverages, and from extracts to edibles, our new portfolio of power brands offers something for everyone.”

The survey also suggests that “Green Wednesday,” the day on which potheads nationwide stock up on weed in advance of the long holiday weekend, is quickly joining the ranks of Black Friday and Cyber Monday as Thanksgiving-adjacent, consumer-powered events on the calendar.

The press release described Green Wednesday as “the industry’s second-biggest sales day in 2020, aptly dubbed the ‘Black Friday’ of cannabis.” Citing data “from Akerna and Headset published in Green Market Report,” Ayr Wellness said that “Green Wednesday cannabis sales beat Black Friday sales for the first time” last year, “with upward trends expected to continue this year.”

According to the new survey, “One in two Green Wednesday shoppers (49 percent) will purchase cannabis as gifts for friends and family,” while “71 percent of Green Wednesday shoppers expect to spend $50 – $100 or more at the dispensary.”

The survey went on to say that “60 percent of cannabis consumers intend to visit a dispensary on Green Wednesday.”

And just what will those customers be buying to pair with football and the feast? Twenty-nine percent said they would buy good old flower; 19 percent are in the mood for edibles or beverages; 11 percent said they would snag some concentrates and extracts; 10 percent are opting for cartridges; nine percent want the pre-rolled joints; five percent dig topicals and four percent say the holiday calls out for infused flower. 

The findings “are part of a national study conducted by real-time consumer intelligence platform Suzy in partnership with Ayr Wellness,” according to the press release. “

“The nationally-representative study, conducted in November 2021, surveyed over 1,300 Americans on their cannabis consumption habits, beliefs and purchasing patterns tied to the holidays and Green Wednesday,” the release said.

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This week: weed-walking with your cousins and jumping on your 420-friendly gift buying.

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It’s America’s secret holiday tradition, and a great way to enhance your appetite. Here’s how to do it well.

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This week Bruce, Alyssa, and Hannah chew through 2020 and all its robust, savory goodness.

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