Hashish use amongst seniors within the U.S. has hit a brand new excessive. Based on a examine revealed in JAMA Inside Drugs, 7% of adults aged 65 and older reported utilizing it prior to now month.
The examine highlights a altering profile of hashish customers, with elevated use amongst older adults who’re college-educated, married, feminine and have increased incomes. This may very well be due partially to elevated availability with legalization in lots of states, decreased stigma and the growing old of earlier customers into the 65+ age bracket.
Regardless of the explanation, this examine showcases a notable shift in demographics, which is useful in persevering with to destigmatize hashish use.
Extra Seniors Are Turning to Hashish
Arizona dispensary group Sol Flower, a product of CopperState Farms, has a location in Solar Metropolis, the place the median age of customers is 72.5. The employees there sees firsthand how older adults method hashish, from managing ache and sleep to only making an attempt edibles for the primary time.
“There are a couple of causes we’re seeing extra older adults embracing hashish right this moment,” says Cedar Cody, model supervisor at hashish producer CopperState Farms.
“A giant one is the gradual breakdown of stigma,” she continues. “Many of those customers grew up in the course of the peak of the Warfare on Medicine, so their notion of hashish was formed by concern and misinformation. However right this moment, with legalization, elevated entry, and normalization, they’re open to revisiting hashish with recent eyes.”
On the Solar Metropolis location, Cody notes that older adults are on the lookout for consolation, wellness and high quality of life. They’re not seeking to get excessive. As a substitute, they’re turning to hashish as a pure choice for continual ache, sleep points or irritation.
Looking for Schooling
Though among the older adults have been consuming hashish for years, with all of the totally different product classes on the market, they nonetheless have questions. And that is the place Sol Flower budtenders come in useful.
“We’ve discovered that the older demographic appreciates a welcoming, judgment-free house the place they will ask questions and get clear, correct info,” Cody says. “Our budtenders act as trusted guides, nearly like private customers, serving to every buyer navigate the big selection of merchandise out there.”
There are nonetheless regulatory limits on what the Sol Flower staff can say straight, particularly in terms of medical claims, nevertheless it’s essential that prospects are supplied with entry to trusted on-line assets and academic instruments. That means, older customers could make knowledgeable selections about their wellness journey.
Advertising and marketing to Seniors
And since most older grownup customers are on the lookout for hashish to assist assist their medical issues, it’s essential for manufacturers to market their merchandise in a different way and attain these customers.
“For older adults, it’s all about belief, readability and neighborhood,” explains Cody. “Whereas youthful customers could also be drawn to flashy packaging or trend-driven merchandise, older adults are extra targeted on reliability and wellness outcomes.”
Sol Flower executes this by leaning into the neighborhood dispensary really feel, in keeping with Cody, creating an area that feels acquainted, protected and useful.
“We additionally spotlight performance,” she says. “For instance, reasonably than advertising with slang or heavy way of life imagery, we give attention to how the product may assist with joint ache or promote higher sleep. And we acknowledge that many older adults are navigating this house for the primary time, so we strip away jargon and meet them the place they’re.”
Catering to seniors shouldn’t be solely the best factor to do, however it may additionally assist to spice up your corporation.
“This demographic is rising, loyal and infrequently prioritizes wellness,” Cody says. “By understanding and serving their wants, dispensaries can create lifelong prospects who really feel genuinely linked to the model.”
