Iris DorbianContributor
I cover the business of cannabis.
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Forget roses or chocolates! According to a new study, a majority of American adults ages 21 and over are planning on gifting their sweethearts with cannabis on the upcoming Valentine’s Day (or at least, incorporating it into their plans). And here's a shocker: parents are more likely to use or gift cannabis than their peers without kids.
Conducted by Wired Research and commissioned by multi-state cannabis operator Verano Holdings, the survey polled 961 Americans and was conducted between January 24, 2023, and January 29, 2023. The resulting data shows that attitudes and purchasing behaviors towards cannabis are shifting in the U.S., with more interest, acceptance and personal cannabis usage leading the way.
Highlights of the study’s findings include:
● 19 million American adults will skip the champagne on Valentine’s Day in favor of cannabis;
● Nearly 1 in 4 American adults believe cannabis improves their sexual performance;
● Men are more likely than women (66% versus 57%) to incorporate cannabis into Valentine’s Day plans; and,
● Gen Z and Millennials are significantly more likely than Gen X and Boomers to include cannabis in their Valentine’s Day plans (70% versus 57%).
Accessibility to legal cannabis may be a driver in the uptick of intended Valentine’s Day cannabis use, as the survey found American adults in the Northeast were the most likely to use or gift cannabis this year (66% versus 55% in the Midwest, 61% in the West, and 63% in the South). Regional interest in cannabis may be attributed to several states in the Northeast, including Connecticut, New York, Vermont and New Jersey, launching legal recreational cannabis programs within the past year.
On the surprising finding about parents being more than likely to to gift or use cannabis for Valentine’s Day versus those without children, sex therapist Ashley Manta, offered a plausible explanation. "When I work with parents in my coaching practice, one of their most common areas of concern is struggling to shift out of parent-brain and into partner-brain, so it's not surprising that parents would use or gift cannabis for Valentine's Day," she said. "Parents are still people in a relationship, and the relationship has connection needs that benefit from intentional effort and prioritization."
Dr. Shannon Chavez, a Beverly Hills-based psychologist and sex therapist, echoed Manta's views. “Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity for couples to try something new together and try a more dynamic and less formulaic approach to intimacy, which cannabis can help inspire," she noted.
