With the results of the 2020 election finalized, one of the clear winners was the cannabis industry, with every legalization proposal on the ballot passing. Voters in 2020 showed that cannabis legalization has grown in popularity to the point that it is no longer a partisan issue, but the progress seen in legalization at the state level has been accompanied largely by inaction at the federal level. The election of Joe Biden to the presidency and the recent progress of cannabis legislation in the House of Representatives give hope that the gridlock on nationwide cannabis reform may be coming to an end in 2021.

The Year Ahead – The Cannabis Industry in 2021. 

Acceptance of legal cannabis is rising across the United States and the 2020 election season was an eventful one for the cannabis legalization movement.

With launch of Retail Sales Tracking, BDSA Provides Comprehensive Suite of Market and Consumer Insights on the Canadian Cannabis Market

BDSA has launched retail sales tracking data for Canada, providing brands and retailers with greater insight into the world’s largest nationally legal cannabis market.

BDSA forecasts Canada’s cannabis industry will reach CAD$3.3 billion ($2.5 billion) in spending in 2020 and grow to CAD$8.1 billion in 2025, rising at a compound annual growth rate of 20%. Canada’s market is divided into the medical and adult-use channels, with the latter commencing sales in October 2018. Consumer spending in the adult-use channel has grown rapidly since launch and is expected to account for nearly 84% of Canada’s total legal cannabis market in 2020.

43% of alcohol consumers also consume cannabis

An interesting interaction is evolving between beverage alcohol and cannabinoid products that is becoming an increasingly important issue for both alcohol and cannabis brands and retailers to watch as worldwide cannabis consumption grows. Growing acceptance and consumption of cannabis, consumption of both alcohol and cannabis and cannabis product innovation are three factors influencing beverage alcohol consumption.

Infused gummies make up 84% of candy ingestible sales in 2020

While sales of ingestible cannabis have grown steadily in legal markets, candies have seen particularly strong sales, with infused gummies making up 84% of candy ingestible sales so far in 2020 across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. Overall gummy sales in these 5 states have seen strong growth in recent years, from $20 million in July 2017 to almost $64 million in July 2020, a growth rate that far exceeds that of other candy ingestibles. The familiar form factor and multitude of flavors that gummy products present make them especially appealing to consumers, who report that the product type is their favorite type of ingestible cannabis.

Six Cannabis Legalization Measures Make the November Ballot

Pre-COVID-19, it appeared as though citizens in as many as 12 states would have the opportunity to vote on medical or adult-use cannabis on Nov. 3, 2020. Had that come to pass, the 2020 election could have eclipsed the monumental events of Nov. 8, 2016, when eight states passed cannabis initiatives. But COVID-19 put a damper on the legalization push in the U.S., as many ballot measures lost steam due to the inability to gather signatures in person. Campaigns for legalization persisted though shelter-in-place orders stopped many signature drives, and with an October 2019 Gallup poll showing 66% support for full legalization, those campaigns that make it to the ballot seem likely to pass.