Although the stigma surrounding cannabis has begun to fade away, there are still many people who still believe the old stereotypes of the lazy stoner who just sits around and smokes pot, contributing nothing to society. This stereotype could not be farther from the truth. The truth of the matter is that cannabis doesn’t discriminate. In our work with City Sessions, touring people from around the world, we have seen first-hand how cannabis appeals to a wide range of people, from different backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, generations, ethnicities, and cultures. Cannabis also appeals to people for many different reasons. Cannabis has a wide variety of uses, and many of the people who use cannabis today are not using it for the “high” but rather for the relief it is known to provide. Through City Sessions, we have learned that the demographics of cannabis consumers are incredibly vast. There are some demographic groups that have come to our attention over the past five years since legalization that we have found especially interesting. Below is a list of these groups and a breakdown of why they are consuming cannabis.
Pain Management Patients
It’s no secret at this point that cannabis is a very effective medicine for managing pain. THC and CBD both have strong therapeutic effects when combating pain, so it makes sense that more people are turning to cannabis for pain management than ever before. In the United States, one out of every three people experiences daily chronic pain. Many of these people are prescribed opiate pain killers or muscle relaxers to deal with their pain. These prescription drugs can cause users to experience many undesirable side effects like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, constipation, raspatory suppression, addiction, and chemical dependency. Cannabis has a very limited set of side effects, most of which are much less severe than the list above. Cannabis users can experience some dizziness and sedation due to the psychoactive effect of the THC, but apart from that, the side effects of cannabis are mainly red eyes, dry mouth, and increased appetite. Cannabis, unlike many prescription pain killers, won’t mess with the normal functions of your body. Cannabis will never make you constipated or cause you to become addicted or chemically dependent on it. Cannabis is helping many people combat their chronic pain and we believe that as time goes on, cannabis will become one of the main drugs prescribed for pain management. If you are looking to use cannabis to manage pain, and are currently using pain killers prescribed by a doctor, please have a conversation with your doctor before adding cannabis into your pain management regimen. As we discussed in our article Why You Should Talk to Your Doctor About Cannabis, there is the potential for interactions with cannabis and your pain medications. It is always important to err on the side of caution before mixing chemical compounds that would interact negatively with one another.
People Looking for an Alternative to Alcohol
Cannabis and alcohol are both used by many people to help them relax and wind down after a long stressful day. When comparing the two, it is clear that alcohol has many more negative side effects than cannabis. Alcohol can cause the consumer to have issues sleeping which can increase their susceptibility to sickness and leave them feeling lethargic the next day. Alcohol is also known to increase anxiety in many consumers, an issue that many people deal with daily in their lives. Long term, habitual use can cause major issues like heart failure, cancer, brain shrinking, stomach issues like ulcers and bleeding, damage to the gastrointestinal tract, reproductive issues in men and women, thinning of bones, dependency, addiction, and diabetes. While smoking cannabis can have a negative effect on your lungs, there is very little evidence to support that consuming cannabis has a negative effect on your body. Consumers who vape, eat edibles or use cannabis topically have very little health risks to worry about from consuming cannabis. We have met many guests through City Sessions who have toured with us to learn about cannabis, and how they can use it to drink less alcohol throughout their week. Cannabis is a great way to relax and destress at the end of the day, and it won’t leave you feeling hungover or sick the next day. Cannabis, although can be habit-forming, will never create a physical dependency in your body. If you are looking for a less harmful way to destress at the end of your day, cannabis may be the substance you are looking for.
Baby Boomers
One of the largest demographics of consumers we have seen since legalization in 2014 is the Baby Boomers. The Baby Boomer generation was the first generation to really bring cannabis into mainstream American culture back in the 60s and 70s. The popularity they created really set the stage for medical cannabis and the cannabis legalization movement. Now that the Boomers are all in their mid-50s or older, many of them are starting to feel the effects of aging. Some of the most common ailments that Boomers are experiencing is pain in their joints (arthritis), or in their back (degenerative disc disease). Instead of turning to pharmaceutical remedies, many of the Baby Boomer generation are turning to cannabis for treating their ailments. It makes sense that the generation that made cannabis popular are still consumers later in their lives. The benefits of this plant have vast applications and can help people combat many of the ailments they face as they get older.
Mothers, and Their Children
One group of people who are very fond of cannabis are Moms, specifically of young children. Cannabis use is still looked down upon, so many moms who use cannabis keep their consumption a secret. Through meeting and touring many mothers who consume cannabis we have found that many mothers feel that their consumption makes them more patient, creative mothers. Raising kids is difficult. For many people, it’s one of the most challenging and yet most rewarding parts of their lives. Between juggling school, work, soccer practice and all of the other activities children are involved in, moms barely ever have time for themselves to sit and relax. Discrete products like vape pens or medicated mints or gummies are great products that moms like to use throughout their day to help find a little relief from the stress of the day. Many moms are also turning to cannabis as opposed to alcohol to help decompress at the end of the day.
Another reason moms are loving cannabis is that it can help their kids. When Colorado first went recreational, there was a group of people that moved to Colorado we call the Cannabis Refugees. These are people who picked up their lives and relocated to Colorado for access to cannabis medicine. Many of the people who moved here did so for their children. Cannabis, specifically CBD is an incredibly effective medicine for children suffering from epilepsy and other ailments. We have multiple stories of children who moved to Colorado and were able to effectively treat their ailments with cannabis. Coltyn Turner and Haleigh Cox are two young people whose parents brought them to Colorado in search of medicine that could help them. Their stories are unique and a testament to cannabis medicine. Both of these children have very intense medical conditions that no doctor or medicine could fix. They were moved by their parents to Colorado as a last effort to find a medicine that would help them. Fortunately for them, both Haleigh and Coltyn have been helped immensely by cannabis. Their conditions are either cured or heavily managed through the daily use of cannabis medicine. Their stories are just two of many about people moving to Colorado in search of access to cannabis medicine. This plant has the power to heal many people, and the potential to change medicine as we know it.
In conclusion, cannabis is a quality of life plant that is becoming more popular the farther into legalization we go. We are seeing more demographic groups using cannabis not for the high, but for the relief that it can provide from a vast array of ailments. Cannabis medicine will continue to grow as cannabis legalization spreads across the United States. As we begin to learn more about this incredible plant we’ll develop new and exciting products with a wide variety of medicinal applications. Cannabis has 120 cannabinoid compounds that grow in its flowers and each of these compounds has some sort of effect on the human body. The potential that this plant has to heal us and cure us of many of the ailments and conditions that we face as humans are massive. In the future, we hope to see new demographics of people beginning to use cannabis to heal and cure themselves.
Continue your education on edible cannabis products in our next blog, Not All Edibles are Created Equal
For a deeper dive into the cannabis plant, its various compounds and the industry that surrounds it, call and book your private educational experience with City Sessions today. 720-250-8828