Why “stoner” shouldn’t be a dirty word and how brands are courting high tolerance consumers

Cannabis businesses often have a complicated relationship with their best customers. As in other vice industries, a substantial majority of cannabis revenue derives from a relatively small number of heavy consumers. But many prominent brands see themselves as mission driven organizations striving to reduce the stigma surrounding cannabis and normalize its use. The way they usually do so is by trying to distance themselves from pothead stereotypes and market low-potency products as components of a healthy lifestyle. 

However, with heavy users still accounting for most sales, a number of brands are going in the other direction, and trying to win them over. For example, California brand Space Coyote, best known for its concentrate-infused pre-rolls, bills itself as  “the most potent and delicious weed.”