Americans who use marijuana products will consume more during the holidays a new report shows.
A new survey from CBD Oracle, a cannabis consumer research company, has found that around 70% of cannabis consumers will use more over the holiday period, largely to help manage holiday stress. Christmas has long been linked to increased drinking as people socialize more and face the pressures of the season, but the new survey suggests that cannabis is set to take over Christmas.
The survey asked 1,925 US adults – who’d all used cannabis at least once before – about how the holidays will impact their weed consumption.
It found that a massive 68.7% will consume more over Christmas, with 47.8% saying they will use “way more” and 20.9% saying they’ll use “a little more.” The most common explanation (given by 56.5%) was to help manage the financial and social stress from the holiday. Helping with sleep and improving mood were the next two most-popular reasons.
Additionally, 47.7% would enjoy getting high with family members over the holidays, including 77% of those with many family members who use cannabis. People generally feel this would help in otherwise awkward situations, with 48% saying it would help discussions around politics and 61.5% saying it would make them more comfortable being around anti-vaccine family members.
While this might make Christmas dinner more… entertaining, it brings some of the same downsides as an alcohol-fuelled holiday. In particular, a shocking 49.1% of respondents said that while they don’t drive drunk, they do drive under the influence of cannabis. This is pretty concerning, because being stoned is still impaired, and in states with legalized adult use, car crashes resulting in injuries are up 6%. However, 26.8% say they only drive totally sober.
The survey paints a picture of the new American Christmas, with some family members lighting up before opening their gifts, and the sometimes tense dinner-table conversations soothed by the switch in substances. Some problems persist, but many feel that it’s a step in the right direction.
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