The State of the Cannabis Pre-Roll Industry
Joints, spliffs, and blunts are some of the most traditional and social forms of cannab...
Furthermore, the variety of products in legal cannabis markets can be overwhelming for newer consumers and pre-rolls are an easy to consume and accessible product category.
Sana Packaging currently produces five different pre-roll tubes that are different sizes and made from different materials. Two are made from 100% plant-based hemp plastic and three are made from 100% ocean-bound and reclaimed ocean plastic.
Last year, we launched our third pre-roll tube made from 100% ocean-bound and reclaimed ocean plastic: the Sana Ocean Tube 116.
The Sana Ocean Tube 116 features a familiar child-resistant pop-top design and is 116mm in length. Made from ocean-bound and reclaimed ocean polypropylene (PP), the Sana Ocean Tube 116 is recyclable, made in the USA, and perfect for packaging king-size pre-rolls, blunts, and vape pens.
This blog post will explore the current state of the cannabis pre-roll market and examine the sustained growth of this classic product category. In short – pre-rolls are here to stay!
The Current State of the Pre-Roll Market
The continued growth of the pre-roll marked over the last decade has surprised many cannabis industry professionals, who believed pre-rolls would only be a popular product category with newer consumers in newer markets.
Then, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the continued growth of the pre-roll market surprised everyone – after all, it’s “puff, puff, pass” right?
However, according to data provided by MJBizDaily, “sales of cannabis pre-rolls surged nearly 50% last year in key recreational markets.”
With COVID-19 concerns around pre-rolls, due to the “shared” nature of pre-roll consumption, no one expected the growth in pre-roll sales to outpace the overall growth of the cannabis market in 2020.
MJBizDaily also reported that “pre-rolls have become the second-fastest-growing product category” and data provided by Leaflink notes that pre-roll sales experienced 144% year-over-year growth from January 2020 to January 2021. 
There are a variety of factors contributing to the continued growth of the pre-roll market, including the ease and convenience of consuming pre-rolls, a shifting perspective and understanding of pre-rolls at the retail level, and changing consumer preferences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will further explore these factors in future blog posts as we continue to dive deeper into one of the cannabis industry’s most resilient product categories!
The Future is Bright
The cannabis pre-roll market is in a great place today and the future looks even brighter.
Pre-rolls always do well in new markets, as noted by Charlie Langston, Managing Director of the Wellness Connection in Maine, who noted that “the pre-roll category is very attractive to newer consumers because it’s a format they’re familiar with… It’s just the convenience factor.”
When observing the country at large and the cannabis industry’s current surge in positive momentum, it’s reasonable to expect the pre-roll market will continue to grow. The regulatory climate around cannabis has never looked more promising and we’re seeing more and more states introduce cannabis programs every election cycle.
As cannabis brands continue to see the growing popularity of pre-rolls the opportunity they present, the quality and variety of pre-rolls will continue to improve. And with that in mind, sustainable packaging is one of the best ways to differentiate yourself from your competition at the retail level.
One of the best ways to communicate your cannabis brand’s commitment to sustainability is through your packaging, but you need to have packaging that prioritizes sustainability first!
Contact us if you’re ready to discover the real impact your packaging has on the environment and you’re ready to build a long-term relationship with a marijuana packaging supplier you can trust. It all starts with a conversation!