High on Its Own Supply: 4/20 Breaks Records With $154 Million in Sales

Whether it was the appeal of deep discounts, the return of live festivals or the flood of savvy marketing—or some combination of those factors—April 20 has written a new page in the cannabis history books, with $154.4 million in legal sales on the Black Friday of weed. Though it fell on a Wednesday, typically a slow day, the U.S. industry set a record for the most dollars ever spent in a single day, per Akerna research, jumping 38% from 2021’s results. For the six-day period leading up to the most revered date on the ganja calendar, American consumers spent $485 million, easily outpacing early projections. Buyers partied like it was pre-pandemic 2019, with Akerna's CEO Jessica Billingsley pointing out that it was the first "non-Covid 4/20" with recreational sales in newly legal states such as Illinois, Arizona, Michigan and New Mexico. Weedy women Women, an often overlooked audience on a holiday that has historically and heavily leaned into bro culture, topped 40% market share for the first time, according to Akerna, giving added weight to the speculation that weed’s future is female. “Women have a huge economic impact, both in terms of their direct purchasing behavior and the multiplier effect of their influence on others,” Lauryn Livengood, senior director of brand marketing at popular cannabis brand Pax, told Adweek. “Cannabis brands are finally starting to pay attention to this fast-growing segment and engage with them more thoughtfully, delivering respectful marketing, brand transparency and high quality products that integrate into their lifestyles and support their wellbeing.” Headset figures show that women were among the fastest-growing demos on April 20, with sales jumping 174% on the holiday, compared to the previous four Wednesdays. Cannabis sales to male customers increased by 130%, by contrast. (The number of millennial and Gen Z buyers is also consistently increasing.) Industry watchers expect more gains in female and young demos this year and beyond, driven in part by small, women-owned values-led brands speaking to audiences they know and understand and multi-state operators waking up to women's buying power. “Cannabis marketing geared toward women is in a boom phase,” Danielle Simone Brand, author of Weed Mom: The Canna-Curious Woman’s Guide to Healthier Relaxation, Happier Parenting and Chilling TF Out, told Adweek. The big female turnout for 4/20 “is reflective of the fact that we’re deep in the midst of a sea change in Americans’ attitudes and experiences with cannabis.” The promotional nature of 4/20, when dispensaries and brands offer significant price breaks and throw in-store parties, encourages consumers to experiment, according to Emily Paxhia, managing partner at Poseidon Investment Management. “This really drives activation in categories that are growing rapidly with women, such as beverages and vapes,” Paxhia told Adweek. Headset figures, gathered from 10 states across the country, show that beverage sales jumped by 176% compared to the previous four Wednesdays and pre-rolls grew by 150%. Though federal legalization has stalled—even with several canna-friendly bills under consideration in Congress—38 states plus D.C. have lifted weed prohibition. That’s especially meaningful for women, Brand said, who want the legal stamp of approval that has spawned a “growing diversity of products that are tested, regulated, precisely dosed and generally more reliable.” To be sure, the female cannaseur is not a new phenomenon, but it’s been a broadening group since 2020’s Covid-19 public health crisis. “It’s the lingering stresses of parenting and working under pandemic conditions that’s prompted their turn away from alcohol and pharmaceuticals and toward cannabis as a stress reliever,” Brand said. Since women are the gatekeepers of "the majority of household purchasing," Billingsley said, "I think we've only scratched the surface of huge 420s, massive sales days, and women shoppers' preferences shaping product formulation." Other notable 4/20 stats: Flower still rules the day, as it does consistently year-round, totaling 43% of 4/20 sales, per Dutchie. Akerna posted even bigger flower numbers, finding that bud topped 48% of sales for the long holiday weekend. Friday, April 15 came in second to 4/20 as a sales leader with $94.3 million total, per Akerna, and Easter Sunday was predictably a bust with $38.9 million in sales. Akerna reported that 59% of purchases were made by consumers under 40 years old. The average dispensary saw a sales boost of 148% on 4/20 over the previous four Wednesdays, while average discounting increased by 72%, per Headset. Transaction volume jumped 107% at the median U.S. retailer, compared to the previous four weeks, per Headset, while basket size increased by 19%. Delivery platform Jane reported a 43% leap in vapes, 34% increase in edibles and 22% boost in flower sales, with overall sales on the holiday growing 160% compared to the previous four Wednesdays. Michigan and Maryland were hotspots, posting sales that were 175% and 156% higher, respectively, than an average Wednesday, per Flowhub. And in one of the country's most mature markets, California, sales climbed 134% over average.