Study Reveals Data About Cannabis Consumers and Sports
As part of its Green Economics series, Green Market Report, in conjunction with Consumer Research Around Cannabis and its partner Local Sports Insights recently studied the sports preferences of cannabis consumers. Based on 36,1999 surveys conducted in 32 U.S. markets, found that 1,292 adults had purchased or used cannabis in the past year and found that the National Football League (NFL) and football in general were still wildly popular among cannabis consumers.
According to the data, 55.1 percent of interviewees said that they regularly follow the NFL, with professional baseball and professional basketball finishing in a distant second and third, with 36.2 percent and 36.1 percent, respectively. Data also showed that football ranked as the most popular college sport for consumers, receiving 36.1 percent of responses. Local Sports Insights also found that 48 percent of all women surveyed follow the NFL, although there are more male cannabis consumers who follow the NFL in comparison to female cannabis consumers, 65.5 percent to 34.5 percent.
As the NFL continues to suffer from a decline in ratings due to various off-field issues of players, anthem protests, head injuries and overall subpar play, CEO and Co-founder of the Green Market Report Debra Borchardt was surprised football held on to the number one spot.
“I really thought basketball would’ve been number one since it’s a sport followed by more young people and is growing in popularity, while ratings have been falling for football,” Borchardt said.
Local Sports Insights found that 26.4 percent of adults over the age of 18 follow the NBA, while the number for cannabis consumers is 36.1 percent. The data shows that, in line with Borchardt’s claim, NBA popularity is 37 percent higher among cannabis consumers.
While the NFL still doesn’t allow its players to consumer cannabis, many current and former players are fighting for the right to change that and use medical cannabis instead of opioids.
“This study was encouraging because the most vocal advocates for allowing cannabis as an alternative to deadly pain medications are professional football players,” said Cynthia Salarizadeh, Co-Founder of the Green Market Report.
