Millennial consumer reports on pre rolls

To start the year with statistics here are a few facts of what happened last year and what was the trend. In September 2024, Millennials purchased 44.6% of all pre-rolls, totalling $103.9 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.

Millennials are lighting up the pre-roll scene. According to a report by Custom Cones USA, a company that specializes in pre-rolls, millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) account for a whopping 45% of the $3 billion pre-roll market. This generation is showing the world that convenience, consistency, and some social magic make pre-rolls the go-to choice.

As cannabis consumption continues to evolve, understanding what drives millennials’ buying habits could be key for brands looking to stay ahead of the curve.

Why Pre-Rolls are a Smoker’s Best Friend

Pre-rolls are widely popular for their ease and convenience for the common smoker. They take the hassle out of rolling a joint and the time out of perfecting it. Types of pre-rolls are vast and constantly growing. They differ in weight, strain, and other qualities. Choose between indica, sativa, or hybrid for different effects. Weight determines dosage. There are full-gram, half-gram, and ¾-gram pre-rolls. There are even single or multi-packs, and infused pre-rolls with kief, live resin, or live rosin for unique potency.

According to the 900 consumers surveyed in the Custom Cones USA study, full-gram pre-rolls are the crowd favorite, making up 57% of the market, with half-grams at 28.3%, and ¾-grams at 9.1%. The brand Jeeter is on top, with 8.8% of the market share, selling a whopping 18.6 million units. Sales of infused pre-rolls have increased from 34.4% in 2019 to 44.4% in 2024.

Pre-rolls made with kief and live resin give different potencies because consumers have different preferences and may react differently to each. When it comes to infused pre-rolls, kief is king (78.3%), followed by live resin (77.3%) and rosin (58.8%). A solid 43% of buyers love both single-use and multi-packs, with 31.1% leaning toward multi-packs. Premium filter tips are a must for 59%, and glass-tipped pre-rolls are the clear favorite at 79.7%, reports Ganjapreneur.

Millennials Influencing Thriving Trends

Since millennials are such a big part of the cannabis industry, they influence trends drastically. If they are buying pre-rolls most often, it makes sense why they are the fastest-growing cannabis category, proceeding with flower, edibles, and cartridges overall. Overall, 82% of cannabis consumers buy pre-rolls.

According to the Custom Cones USA white paper, 94% of cannabis consumers stated joints as their go-to method of consumption. Vape pens (67%), edibles (66%), and bowls (65%) followed closely behind.
Millennials have more freedom than younger generations to buy and consume cannabis and may have more experience than older generations with the plant. That’s likely why millennials lead pre-roll sales with 44.6% of purchases, with Gen X following behind at 24.3%. Even the young Gen Z comes before boomers at 18.5% and the latter at 12.5%. Younger generations are also more likely to be educated on the uses and benefits of cannabis, resulting in more use for reasons such as pain management, sleep, mental health, or creativity.

As for other generations, Gen Z also prefers pre-rolls, while Gen X and Baby Boomers prefer flowers. Millennials buy more cannabis pre-rolls than other generations, report says. As the largest generation in the United States, millennials are reshaping consumer spending trends, including expenditures on cannabis, where that age group dominates the pre-roll market.

Consumption and sales of pre-rolls

The study combined survey data from more than 900 cannabis users nationwide with Headset analytics to create a comprehensive look at pre-rolls consumers and their buying habits.

It was conducted by Renton, Washington-based pre-rolls packaging and manufacturing company Custom Cones USA and Seattle-headquartered cannabis analytics firm Headset. The average price for a pre-roll, according to Headset data, is $6.44 per gram, a number that’s been declining for years.

In September 2022, the average, equalized price for a pre-roll was $8.13. While millennials account for the biggest share of consumers purchasing pre-rolls, other generations are close behind.

In September, spending on pre-rolls by generation was:

• Millennials (born 1981-96): $103.9 million for 44.6% of total spending.
• Generation X (1965-80): $56.7 million, or 24.3% of total.
• Generation Z (1997-2012): $43.2 million, or 18.5% of total.
• Baby Boomers (1946-64): $29.2 million, or 12.5% of total.

Vapes, edibles and pre-rolls

Bard noted that vape pens are popular with Gen Zers but favored less by older generations.

The converse is true for edibles – they’re the least popular with Gen Zers, but older generations buy more of them.

• “Joints are something that unites everyone,” Bard said.
• “Everyone loves a joint, whereas you can’t really say that about the other categories.”

While flower is still the biggest seller, Bard said it’s not a consumption method the way pre-rolls are.

Among shoppers who purchase flowers, rolling it into joints is the No. 1 consumption method.  Alternatively, flowers can be loaded into a bong, bowl or dry flower vaporizer.

But consumption of pre-rolls continues to rise, with 82% of cannabis consumers buying them and sales revenue increasing by more than 450% over the past five years to $3 billion, according to the report.

Pre-rolls package size

Retailers sell more 1-gram, full-size pre-rolls – which consumers typically add to purchases they’re already making – than they do half-gram pre-rolls, which tend to be sold in multipacks.

“Our hypothesis is that they’re purchasing (1-gram pre-rolls) for immediate use,” Bard told MJBizDaily.

“They’re going to the store to buy whatever they really want to buy, and they’ll buy a pre-roll and do that right away.”

Bard believes a disconnect exists between what cannabis businesses think consumers want and what consumers say they want. The study found that businesses perceive price as the biggest driver behind purchasing decisions, but consumers said they prioritize higher-potency products over lower costs.

Popular pre-rolls brands

Over the past two years, bigger brands have outpaced all other brands, accounting for 8.8% of all pre-rolls purchased, with sales totaling nearly $504.2 million. Most California-based brands are available in Arizona, Massachusetts and Michigan as well as its home state.

Another California brand, ranked second, selling more than 43.4 million pre-rolls for $320.9 million in the past two years.

The company’s products are available in California and Michigan.

The Dogwalkers brand, which helped pioneer the mini pre-roll, placed third, totaling $141.6 million in sales on 6.1 million units sold during the same time period.

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