Pre-Rolls More Popular in Canada than in the USA

According to a recent report released by Headset, pre-rolls are more popular in Canada than in the USA.

Using real-time sales reporting between January and June 2022, Headset found that US and Canadian consumers spent over $752M and $402M (CAD) on pre-rolls.

While both countries enjoy this product, Canadians love it. Nearly a quarter of Canada’s 2022 cannabis sales have come from pre-roll purchases.

Pre-Rolls More Popular in Canada than in the USA 

Pre-rolls may be more popular in Canada than in the USA, but that doesn’t mean they’re not popular among Americans. In the US, pre-roll sales make up 12.6% of all cannabis sales, up 2% from last year.

Likewise, the US consumes far more connoisseur/infused pre-rolls. These specialty pre-rolls make up 41% of their total pre-rolls sales, compared to the 11.2% in Canada.

The most popular pre-roll products in Canada are single-strain hybrids, with 42% of total sales.

Despite the popularity in both countries, pre-rolls are clearly more popular in Canada than in the US. Nearly 1 in every 4 dollars spent on cannabis in Canada goes towards pre-rolls.

Canadian pre-rolls have double the market share compared to the US.

In the United States, consumers tend to spend more on vape pens, edibles and concentrates.

Pre-Roll Popularity Over Time 

Year-long trends show the popularity of pre-rolls has been increasing in both countries. Again, we can see that pre-rolls are more popular in Canada than in the US. Overall market share since June 2021 shows a near 6% difference in the two countries.

Since January 2022, pre-rolls‘ market share has grown by 12.3% in the US and 31.1% in Canada.

However, this comes at the expense of flower, which has decreased its total market share by 9.1% in Canada and 5.4% in the US. 

Breaking this down by province and state shows exactly how pre-rolls are more popular in Canada than in the USA.

British Columbia leads Canada with pre-rolls making up 28.2% of total cannabis sales in the first half of 2022.

California leads the United States with 14.8% of total cannabis sales.

What Kind of Pre-Rolls are More Popular in Canada than in the US?

Pre-roll products come in all shapes and sizes with various strains available.

In Canada, single-strain hybrid pre-rolls dominate the market, commanding 42% of all pre-roll sales.

In the USA, as mentioned, the connoisseur/infused specialty pre-roll controls 41.% of the market, just slightly overtaking single-strain hybrids.

This connoisseur market is smaller in Canada, only making up 0.1% of pre-roll sales. However, this market is growing in both countries.

Comparing prices – it’s clear Canadians are paying more for pre-rolls. The average Canadian price is 17% higher than in the US.

Canada’s average pre-roll product is $21.13 CAD (or $16.46 USD). In the US, the average pre-roll product is $13.90 USD (or $17.82 CAD).

Connoisseur/infused pre-rolls are 21.7% more expensive in Canada than in the US.

Takeaways from the Pre-Roll Market

Pre-rolls are widespread and growing in both countries. The number of people buying flower has decreased as pre-rolls purchases have steadily increased. It’ll be interesting to see if this trend continues into the year’s second half.

Overall, Canadian consumers dedicate nearly twice as much market share to pre-rolls as US consumers. This makes pre-rolls more popular in Canada than in the US, but only a little. At the same time, they are the second-most popular cannabis product in Canada. In the US, pre-rolls rank third.

Connoisseur/infused pre-rolls are more popular in the US than in Canada. But this category is also growing in Canada.

Overall, pre-rolls may be more popular in Canada than in the US, but Canadians pay higher prices, 17%, compared to pre-roll prices in the US.