Weed Dispensaries Are Bracing Themselves For Super Bowl Sunday

The post Weed Dispensaries Are Bracing Themselves For Super Bowl Sunday appeared first on High Times.

Weed dispensaries are bracing themselves for Super Bowl Sunday. The Big Game is right around the corner, and retailers across the board are getting ready for a huge weekend. And that, of course, includes cannabis stores. Around the country, in states where it’s legal, these specialty shops are prepping for a touchdown.

High Retail Numbers

Super Bowl Sunday is traditionally one of the most active weekends for retail. Now, new stats show that this trend holds true for the legal cannabis industry as well.

USA Today and cannabis sales company Green Bits recently compiled sales data for the legal weed industry. These numbers reveal that last year, weed sales spiked by 40 percent on the Saturday before the Super Bowl.

Similarly, the average purchase at a dispensary went from $100 to $140 right before the Big Game. Edibles and THC cartridges were the most popular Super Bowl products last year.

This year, experts are expecting even bigger overall numbers. That’s primarily because there are now more places where recreational weed is legal.

With the recent legalization of recreational weed in Vermont, there are now nine states, plus Washington D.C., where weed is legal.

Most notably, California launched legal sales at the beginning of the year. That state alone should add a significant boost to overall weed retail numbers this weekend.

Along with Super Bowl weekend, there are a few other key dates that are emerging as hot times for legal weed sales. Not surprisingly, the 420 season is one of the busiest times for weed retail. Additionally, the days before and immediately following Thanksgiving are active. So are the days just before Christmas.

Social Events and Cannabis Consumption

Experts say that much of Super Bowl weekend’s appeal has to do with the social aspects of consuming weed. More and more, people in weed-legal states are turning to cannabis for social recreation. Sometimes, even more than alcohol.

“The Super Bowl is like any other large social event: people getting together,” Green Bits CEO Ben Curren told USA Today. “Whenever there’s a large social event we see an uptick in purchases.”

Many experts suspect that people are turning to weed during social events because it lets people get high and have fun, but without feeling hung over the next day.

“You can be social, have a good time, and still be a human being and go to work the next day,” said Justin Bishoff, manager of the GroundSwell dispensary in Denver.

Final Hit: Weed Dispensaries Are Bracing Themselves For Super Bowl Sunday

As weed dispensaries are bracing themselves for Super Bowl Sunday, the relationship between cannabis and football is intensifying. And not just in terms of fans purchasing more weed.

More and more, current and former NFL players are calling on the league to allow for the use of medical marijuana. A growing number of concerned players are pointing out that without reliable access to medical marijuana, pro football players are too often forced to rely on dangerous opioids.

As a result, many players run the risk of developing harmful dependencies.

In fact, a survey taken last year found that 91 percent of NFL players have taken opioid painkillers at some point. Forty-five percent said they felt pressure from team doctors, staff, and teammates to use the drugs.

Whether it’s players using medical marijuana to manage pain or fans buying weed for Super Bowl parties, it seems as if legal weed and football are increasingly working well together.

The post Weed Dispensaries Are Bracing Themselves For Super Bowl Sunday appeared first on High Times.