A third of polled Canadians might be giving the gift of ‘green’ this holiday season

Thanksgiving went virtual, Halloween is shaping up to be a hands-off experience and Christmas get-togethers might be a no-go. But that doesn’t mean gift-giving this festive season needs to suffer, particularly if one’s choice is the green stuff.

Despite COVID-19’s continuing clampdown, plenty of people are high on possibly making cannabis and pot-related products their gift for family and friends alike this coming holiday season.

So suggests the recent Maru/Blue online survey of 1,507 randomly selected Canadian adults, 453 of whom had used weed within the past five years. Commissioned by FIGR Brands Inc., the national poll results have been weighted by education, age, gender and region to match the population, as per Census data.

Indeed, just shy of a third of respondents (32 per cent) report that they would consider the gift of weed this holiday season, notes poll results provided to The GrowthOp. Friends are the most likely recipients of gifted weed, at 80 per cent, then siblings at 51 per cent and spouses and partners at 41 per cent.

In all, 27 per cent of respondents who are considering giving cannabis as a gift say that parents are potential recipients. / Getty Images

Those thinking that mom and dad (predictably) have been left off the skunky list need to give themselves a shake. In fact, 27 per cent of respondents who are considering giving cannabis as a gift say that parents are potential recipients.

Flower continues to top the list for how people consume cannabis — Statistics Canada reports dried flower accounted for 50.7 per cent of total cannabis purchases in the third quarter of 2019 — but it falls to the second spot when it comes to green gifts this festive season.

Those who consume for themselves still make flower their go-to.  / LightFieldStudios / iStock / Getty Images Plus ightFieldStudios / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Perhaps as a result of the breadth of potential recipients, gift receivers are most likely putting edibles (49 per cent) on their wish lists, followed by bud (36 per cent), pre-rolls and joints (32 per cent) and oils (27 per cent), poll results show.

“Canadians’ openness to gifting cannabis likely has to do with the broader normalization of cannabis,” Marta Clark, marketing director for FIGR, told The GrowthOp. As “comfort level and cannabis knowledge grows, we’ll continue to see more people gifting cannabis products to their loved ones,” Clark says.

Gift receivers are most likely putting edibles on their wish lists. / Photo: mheim3011 / iStock / Getty Images Plus mheim3011 / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Men currently seem more likely to entertain the idea of giving a green gift than women. In all, survey results show that 36 per cent of men polled are considering giving weed as a gift compared to 28 per cent of women respondents.

The gender divide is mirrored in an even more pronounced age divide. Specifically, 22 per cent of millennials would consider giving weed as a gift, more than four times as much as the five per cent of respondent aged 55 and older.

Feel like playing host and want weed to be on the guest list? Almost four in 10 respondents, 38 per cent, report they are game for offering weed to their guests at their homes.

Weed and food make a great pairing for any special occasion. / Photo: LightFieldStudios / iStock / Getty Images Plus LightFieldStudios / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Whether alone or with friends, about a third of those polled are looking to make the ultimate pairing: weed and food. In fact, 36 per cent report they are likely to consume a bit of cannabis prior to digging in for a delectable holiday meal. Really, they are all-in with the weed-food combo for any special occasion, the survey findings show.

“The holidays will already look a little different this year, but it’s exciting to know that Canadians are finding new ways to integrate cannabis into their celebrations and embracing it amongst their traditions,” Harvey Carroll, president of FIGR Brands, a vertically integrated legal cannabis company headquartered in Toronto, says in an email to The GrowthOp.