Sales of adult-use marijuana products continued to grow in the first quarter of 2021 versus the same period last year with some categories such as beverages posting particularly strong gains.
Retail sales data for California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state – provided by Seattle-based analytics firm Headset – showed clear winners, including beverages, capsules and edibles.
The data also showed lackluster sales performances for vapes, pre-rolls and flower.
The beverage category continued to shine in the first quarter, leading all categories with sales growing 68.4% over the same period last year and 14.2% versus the fourth quarter of 2020.
Most beverage categories experienced double-digit growth going into 2021.
Iced tea, lemonade, and fruit drinks topped the category with 26.7% growth over the previous quarter and 144.35% versus the same period last year.
- Tea, coffee and hot cocoa: 16.1% over previous quarter
- Carbonated beverages: 14.7% over previous quarter
- Water: 12.1% over previous quarter
- Drops, mixes, elixirs and syrups: 11.4% over previous quarter
Edibles and capsules were also clear category winners, with both showing at least 5% growth over the previous quarter and 20% or more versus the first quarter of 2020.
Vape and pre-roll categories showed the least growth, with flower actually posting a decline.
While flower sales grew 32.4% over the first quarter of last year, they declined almost 1% versus the fourth quarter of 2020.
On the positive side, flower’s small drop flattens a downward trend for the category: Flower sales declined 12% in the fourth quarter after spectacular gains of 32% in the second quarter of 2020 and 15% in the third quarter that were driven largely by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It would be premature to call flower a loser as it continues to grow year-over-year and still commands the largest share of the market.
For comparison, beverage sales for the states analyzed were $31.3 million in the first quarter of 2021, while flower sales totaled $1.1 billion.
Andrew Long can be reached at andrew.long@mjbizdaily.com.
Percent change adult-use marijuana categories
Overall marijuana categories have grown since last year. A look at how specific segments within those categories have done. Data contains adult-use retail sales from California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state. Oregon numbers contain medical sales. Source: Headset| Category | Segment | % change from Q4 2020 | % change from Q1 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beverages | Total category | 14.2% | 68.4% |
| Beverages | Carbonated | 14.7% | 80.7% |
| Beverages | Drops, Mixes, Elixirs, and Syrups | 11.4% | 39.0% |
| Beverages | Iced Tea, Lemonade, and Fruit | 26.7% | 144.4% |
| Beverages | Milk | 3.9% | 66612.2% |
| Beverages | Mocktails | -10.6% | 84.1% |
| Beverages | Sports and Energy | -11.4% | 6.2% |
| Beverages | Tea, Coffee and Hot Cocoa | 16.1% | -28.0% |
| Beverages | Water | 12.1% | 96.6% |
| Capsules | Total category | 5.9% | 29.6% |
| Capsules | CBD / CBN | -2.3% | 3.9% |
| Capsules | Hybrid | 0.3% | 21.2% |
| Capsules | Indica | 30.7% | 74.7% |
| Capsules | Sativa | 16.3% | 95.2% |
| Capsules | Suppository | -2.0% | -70.7% |
| Concentrates | Total category | 2.6% | 36.2% |
| Concentrates | Badder / Budder | 10.6% | 86.2% |
| Concentrates | Bubble Hash / Full Melt | -7.0% | 102.5% |
| Concentrates | Crystalline / THCA / CBDA | -3.4% | 76.7% |
| Concentrates | Distillate | -3.3% | 48.7% |
| Concentrates | Hash | -1.1% | 47.9% |
| Concentrates | Honey Oil / Hash Oil | -25.8% | -16.5% |
| Concentrates | Honeycomb / Crumble | -1.6% | 43.7% |
| Concentrates | HTE | 11.8% | 113.0% |
| Concentrates | Kief | -6.5% | 29.2% |
| Concentrates | Live Resin | 7.8% | 38.5% |
| Concentrates | Rosin | 19.7% | 202.4% |
| Concentrates | RSO / WPE / Full Spectrum | 3.2% | 5.7% |
| Concentrates | Shatter | 9.9% | 13.4% |
| Concentrates | Tanker / Applicator / Syringe | -9.7% | -27.7% |
| Concentrates | Unspecified | -68.6% | 31.8% |
| Concentrates | Wax | -5.2% | 25.1% |
| Edibles | Total category | 5.1% | 20.2% |
| Edibles | Brownie, Blondie, and Cereal Bars | -0.7% | -6.0% |
| Edibles | Candy, Lozenge and Gum | -1.6% | -6.6% |
| Edibles | Caramels, Chews and Taffy | 11.0% | 6.1% |
| Edibles | Chocolate | -1.7% | -10.4% |
| Edibles | Cookie | -12.5% | -22.8% |
| Edibles | Gummies | 7.5% | 38.5% |
| Edibles | Honey, Sugar and Sweeteners | -10.6% | -28.9% |
| Edibles | Ingredients (Cooking Oil, Flour, etc.) | -16.3% | -3.4% |
| Edibles | Mints | -4.2% | -15.1% |
| Edibles | Other | -8.8% | -41.5% |
| Edibles | Savory Edibles | -12.1% | 0.1% |
| Flower | Total category | -1.0% | 32.4% |
| Flower | CBD | -18.5% | -24.9% |
| Flower | CBD - Popcorn | -30.9% | 90.7% |
| Flower | Ground Flower | -12.4% | 575.9% |
| Flower | Hybrid | -0.6% | 42.3% |
| Flower | Hybrid - Popcorn | -5.8% | 73.2% |
| Flower | Indica | 0.5% | 18.8% |
| Flower | Indica - Popcorn | 2.1% | 50.9% |
| Flower | Sativa | -0.4% | 2.4% |
| Flower | Sativa - Popcorn | 5.1% | 99.1% |
| Flower | Shake and Trim | -25.8% | 1.3% |
| Flower | Specialty / Infused | 4.2% | 143.0% |
| Pre-rolls | Total category | 0.8% | 41.2% |
| Pre-rolls | Cannagars / Blunts | 3.9% | 200.4% |
| Pre-rolls | CBD - Single Strain | -11.3% | -9.9% |
| Pre-rolls | Connoisseur / Infused | 10.9% | 154.4% |
| Pre-rolls | Hybrid - Single Strain | -4.7% | 17.6% |
| Pre-rolls | Indica - Single Strain | -6.4% | 6.2% |
| Pre-rolls | Mixed Strain | 67.8% | 181.1% |
| Pre-rolls | Sativa - Single Strain | 0.5% | 1.9% |
| Tinctures & Sublinguals | Total category | 3.9% | -6.1% |
| Tinctures & Sublinguals | Breathstrips and Sublingual Pouches | 13.9% | -8.5% |
| Tinctures & Sublinguals | Oral Spray | 3.6% | 9.7% |
| Tinctures & Sublinguals | Tincture | 3.8% | -6.8% |
| Topicals | Total category | 4.1% | -1.3% |
| Topicals | Bath Salts, Soaks and Scrubs | 5.3% | 4.1% |
| Topicals | Lip Balm | -8.1% | -8.7% |
| Topicals | Lotion, Salves, Gels, and Creams | 3.6% | 1.6% |
| Topicals | Massage Oil / Lube | 1.9% | -25.0% |
| Topicals | Patch | 13.7% | 7.5% |
| Topicals | Transdermal Products | 6.2% | -25.8% |
| Vape pens | Total category | 2.4% | 29.4% |
| Vape pens | All-in-one Disposable | 4.4% | 41.3% |
| Vape pens | All-in-one Rechargeable | 101.5% | 33.1% |
| Vape pens | Cartridge | 2.2% | 28.3% |
| Vape pens | Refill / E-Juice | -38.7% | -53.9% |
