Baby Boomers: Overlooked Customers No More

Baby boomers came of age at a time when smoking pot was all the rage. But after their party days were over, they entered corporate America and most quit smoking greens in order to focus on their careers and families.

But as the baby boomers continue to get older, they are returning to enjoying the herb for both recreational and medicinal purposes as they are freed from worrying about the impressions they leave on their children, drug screenings at work, or the social stigma. Many of their contemporaries are enjoying the herb once again, the media is discussing the trend, and, quite blatantly, many are at a point in life where they just don’t care anymore what other people say about them.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2011, more than 17 percent of all cannabis users who admitted to smoking more than once a month were baby boomers. Even though the results of the more recent national survey are not yet available, it stands to reason this number is on the rise. National media sources including Forbes Magazine and The New York Times are discussing the trend, and the emerging legal cannabis market is taking notice.

Cannabusinesses and investors are catering to the special needs and desires of this special cannabis cohort. Unique strains with lower THC but higher CBD levels have been bred. The combination of higher CBD levels and relatively low THC levels are shown to have pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory properties without getting one high. And companies like Leafly.com cater directly towards the discerning cannabis connoisseur desiring to pick out their bud like they would a fine wine or delicate chocolate, with careful research and considerations to find just the right blend of traits for the ultimate experience.

Times are changing. Older Americans are no longer the overlooked consumers they once were in this industry.  And many are excited to think of the possibilities held within having over 50 percent of all baby boomers, the biggest cohort in American history, supporting legalization of marijuana.

Imagine the possibilities if we were all to take this advice and talk to our parents and grandparents about ending prohibition. Then again, they just might surprise us by their view on the subject.