Every consumer marketplace varies in regard to the different preferences between male and female customers, and the cannabis marketplace is no different. Thanks to a recent report completed by Headset, a cannabis analytics company, deeper insights have been gleaned related to cannabis product purchasing behaviors of women. According to the data, female tastes for cannabis products may be quite different from those of men. Read below to find out what cannabis products and specific marijuana strains are particularly popular among women, and what women look for when purchasing strains for personal consumption.
Most Preferred Ways of Consumption
According to Leafly.com, Headset provides some specifics in terms of which products men and women are shopping for through data from customer loyalty programs built into retail point of sale systems. Within this data, they found that from 2017 to 2018, women’s purchases of cannabis products increased in the following categories of consumption: 42 percent for tinctures and sublingual, 47 percent for topicals and 19 percent for vape pens. With these numbers increasing every year, it would seem that most women are more interested in the health and wellness aspects of cannabis. These numbers also imply that women generally prefer non-combustible methods of cannabis consumption like edibles, tinctures and sublingual, topicals and vapor pens.
Of course, these types of products are not solely for women and women do not exclusively purchase cannabis tinctures, topicals, and vape pens. In fact, Headset found that cannabis flower is still the most commonly purchased product category for women. What this does show is that the consumer mindset is always changing, and as more product choices become available, we are likely to discover even clearer demographic shifts and trends over time.
Sativas, Indicas or Hybrid Strains?
Thanks to estrogen and with the female body’s natural endocannabinoids spiking during ovulation, women appear to experience different effects from cannabis than men. Studies indicate that in addition to being more sensitive to the effects of cannabis, women can also develop a greater tolerance to THC. With this being said, it makes sense that not every cannabis strain is created equal and may affect every individual differently.
Leafly.com takes a look at which strains women view more often on their website than their male counterparts and the percentage increase at which they are viewing them. This data, supplemented with the list of strains women view the most, is what led to some interesting observations about the types of strains women prefer and why.
The data collected from their website concluded that females prefer Sativa strains and hybrids that provide uplifting effects. Even the most viewed hybrid strains among women are those types of hybrids that are described as having an uplifting, happy euphoric effect, which suggests that this effect from marijuana is the one females desire most.
CBD Content
Scientific research, and modern trends in our society, show that women are often turning to cannabis as medicine when they want relief from female conditions such as menopause, menstrual cramps, breast cancer, PMS or anorexia. Cannabis strains high in CBD seem to be perfect in helping to treat those ailments because CBD, or cannabidiol, offers analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties. Charlotte’s Web, Harlequin and Cannatonic are all cannabis strains known for their high-CBD content and are the three of the ten strains with the most views from women on the Leafly website.
CBD-high strains containing low THC have been associated with being one of the best medicines for menstrual cramps and PMS. THC and CBD combined help to relax muscles and that control menstrual cramps, which are caused by the contraction of the uterus muscles. The cannabinoids also block pain by working on the nerves in and around the reproductive areas.
Uplifting strains and CBD-heavy options have something in common: they also help mitigate anxiety. According to Leafly user reviews, Charlotte’s Web, Harlequin, Cannatonic, Skywalker, Agent Orange and Jack Herer are all popular strains among the female crowd because they all possess anti-anxiety effects. This finding is not too surprising considering women are twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder compared to men. You can see why strains that help alleviate these feelings would be especially appealing to females.
Cannabis Flavors
Women naturally have a better sense of taste than men and they are more likely able to experience a much more intense sense of taste of their cannabis products. Many of the strains women search for have distinctly fruity, sweet flavors, such as Green Crack and Harlequin (both offer flavors similar to mangoes), Lemon Kush and its sweet citrus mix, Purple Haze and its sweet berry taste, and Agent Orange’s orange-y citrus fragrance.
Women’s lives are hectic and stressful as they wear many hats throughout their day therefore, self-medicating with cannabis has become a daily medicine for American women. In fact, according to The Cannabis Consumers Coalition report released in 2017, women smoke more than men these days. The CCC report found that 58 percent of women used cannabis compared to 41 percent of men. The CCC reported that women cannabis consumers “mirror national trends and statistics in traditional markets, where women make the majority of purchasing decisions, including 80 percent of family health care decisions.” In other words, women are a force to be reckoned with in the cannabis industry.,
