SEATTLE, Nov. 18, 2024 – PRESS RELEASE – Custom Cones USA, the cannabis industry experts in pre-rolls, packaging, pre-roll manufacturing solutions, and the company behind the smoking accessories brands DaySavers, Smoke Temple, and Fill-a Blunts, published a white paper in partnership with Headset that provides the deepest analysis of the cannabis industry pre-roll consumer, looking at everything from demographics, purchasing behaviors, consumer preferences and price points.
The report found that millennials account for the largest share of pre-roll purchases, cornering 45% of market demand at $104 million. In a first-of-its-kind study, the white paper combined survey data from over 900 cannabis users from around the country with Headset analytics to create a comprehensive look at pre-roll consumers and their buying habits.
What the report found is that pre-roll use continues to rise, with 82% of consumers buying them, and sales revenue is up more than 450% over the past 5 years at $3 billion. It also found that consumers have a wide variety of preferences including size and package type, and that more and more are buying premium options like infused pre-rolls (70% of respondents), or pre-rolls with premium filter tips (nearly 60% of respondents). Other notable findings include:
The Demographics of Pre-Roll Smokers
- Millennials account for the largest share of pre-roll purchases. In September 2024, millennials purchased 44.6% of all pre-rolls, totaling $103.9 million.
- Generation X is second, at 24.3% ($56.7 million)
- Followed by Gen Z, at 18.5% ($43.2 million)
- And finally, baby boomers, at 12.5% ($29.2 million)
- Men buy more pre-rolls than women in every generational breakdown, with millennial males taking the top spot among all breakdowns, accounting for 28% of all pre-roll revenue and 26.8% of all units sold.
Growth of the Pre-Roll Industry
- People are smoking a lot of pre-rolls, and more every year.
- From September 2023 to September 2024, more than 300.7 million pre-roll products were sold, totaling $3 billion across the 13 markets tracked by Headset.
- Total units sold in the pre-roll category have increased 106% in just three years.
- In September 2021, nearly 14 million pre-rolls were sold, and that number rose to 16.7 million in September 2022
- 22.8 million units in September 2023
- 26.9 million units in September 2024
- A peak of 28.8 million units sold in August 2023.
Top Pre-Roll Brands:
- Over the past two years, Jeeter has easily outpaced all other brands, accounting for 8.8% of all pre-rolls purchased—more than 18.6 million units—for sales totaling nearly $504.2 million, according to Headset data.
- 13 of the top 20 best-selling pre-roll products are from Jeeter.
- STIIIZY comes in second place, selling more than 43.4 million pre-rolls and raking in $320.9 million, with five of the top 20 products.
- Dogwalkers comes in third, totaling $141.6 million in sales on 6.1 million units sold.
Purchasing Habits & Other Notable Finds:
- By a wide margin, respondents to the survey listed potency as the most important factor when choosing a pre-roll; more than 70% of respondents ranked it first.
- Price followed in second place, with brand coming in third.
- Approximately 70% of survey respondents said they buy infused pre-rolls, though 64% buy them infrequently, choosing “once a month” or for “special occasions.”
- According to the survey, 59% of pre-roll smokers have purchased pre-rolls with premium filter tips, showing the growing strength of this new segment, though the majority (51.8%) purchase them on special occasions.
- However, 21.4% purchase pre-rolls with premium filter tips at least once a week.
Respondents to the Custom Cones USA survey ranged in age from 19 to 76, with an average of 43 years old. The gender distribution was nearly even. A majority indicated that they have been smoking cannabis for more than 20 years on average, and that they use cannabis more than once each day.
The results of this consumer report show that the popularity of pre-rolls cut across every generation and gender, providing something for every taste, and leading to record sales revenue for the category. Consumers like pre-rolls because of the variety of choices the product provides, and more consumers choose infused products and premium filter options.
“The results of this consumer-focused report really show that pre-rolls and hand-rolled joints are the most popular consumption method,” said Harrison Bard, co-founder and CEO of Custom Cones USA and DaySavers. “The data shows that when consumers buy flower, joints are the go-to consumption method. Not only are pre-rolls the third biggest category and fastest growing category, but most consumers consume their flower, which is the No. 1 category in the industry, via joints and blunts.”
For the full white paper, see here.
