There are several stereotypes attached to the type of people who use marijuana for either medicinal or recreational purposes. Stoners. An image of the “typical” marijuana enthusiast is probably floating around in your head right now.
Well, guess what? Just like all stereotypes, your image is way, way off.
The modern marijuana consumer isn’t who you think it is, at least according to eaze — the company trying to become “the Amazon of weed delivery.” Check out this incredibly detailed study regarding the types of people who partake in the wonder bud that the company released back in June. More than 10,000 cannabis consumers responded to a 32 question email survey. The company collected the data to give a snapshot of the current cannabis customer.
Here are some fascinating bullet points:
- 51% of cannabis consumers surveyed have a college or postgraduate degree.
- 91% of respondents are employed in a variety of industries, the majority of the users holding jobs in tech.
- Out of the cannabis consumers surveyed, 49% have a household income of $75,000 or more. The most common income bracket, at 16% of total responses, was $100,000-$149,999.
- 58% of respondents report using cannabis daily. This is unsurprising – the vast majority of consumers (69%) self-identify as primarily medical users, as opposed to recreational.
After digesting all this information, I reached out to Jamie Feaster, the 30-year-old VP of Marketing for eaze to discuss “the Amazon of weed delivery,” how he got involved in the company, the modern day weed delivery recipient and if Amazon might ever dip their toes into the marijuana parcel business.
So how did you get involved with the company?
I was a scholarship pole vaulter at UC Davis the first year it became a NCAA Division 1 program. After graduating with a degree in Communications and minor in Spanish, I moved to San Francisco and was working at an ad agency on Ubercab’s account (now Uber).
During that time, I joined a flag football team with several of my friends and ruptured my Achilles tendon during the last play of the championship game. I was playing cornerback, and the opposing team threw a Hail Mary that was unsuccessful. So while my Achilles tendon was in ruins, the silver lining is that I was still able to help our team seal the victory. My injury is what spurred me to first try CBD lotion for recovery purposes, and I’ve never looked back.
How did CBD work as a post workout and muscle recovery?
CBD has powerful anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and relaxing qualities, whether ingested through vaporization or as a topical. Cannabis works to supplement our endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is a group of endogenous cannabinoid receptors located in the mammalian brain and throughout our nervous systems.
Without going too deep into the science, our ECS helps to regulate appetite, immune system functions, pain management, induce sleep, control energy storage, improve nutrient storage and even play a cardiovascular role. Using CBD kicks our ECS into overdrive, enhancing the ECS’ ability to engage the functions listed above.
Plus, unlike THC, CBD alone will not get you high. So CBD is especially great for those who live active lifestyles but are not looking for the high that cannabis is normally associated with.
So you think weed has healing powers?
Of course – it’s no secret that cannabis is one of the most healing plants on earth. From stopping seizures to relieving pain, I’m excited to see the many medicines that will be developed from cannabis once the DEA removes it from schedule 1 drug status.
How did you get involved with the company?
I met Keith McCarty, eaze’s founder, while at Disneyland on Green Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving, which is typically a huge day for marijuana sales) back in 2013. We got to talking about technology, and he said he was working to build a technology company that provided on-demand marijuana delivery, but that he wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about marketing or cannabis. Right away, I told him to sign me up! Keith and I brainstormed eaze’s business model while riding Space Mountain – it just felt right, and the rest is history.
The company is marketed as the ‘Amazon of marijuana delivery.’ Amazon is quickly becoming the ‘Amazon of everything.’ Do you think they’ll ever dip their toes in medical marijuana?
eaze mirrors Amazon in that we provide our customers choice and convenience. While our mission and technology platform are similar, there are some fundamental differences between eaze and Amazon.
We’re unique in that our average delivery takes less than 20 minutes after a customer places an order, whereas even Amazon Prime can take up to two hours sometimes. We deliver wherever you are, whether that’s at your home, the park, a restaurant – anywhere. At eaze, we like to say that “20 minutes is the new 2 hours.” We recognize that we live in the age of instant gratification and time is a precious commodity. Our mission is to provide people with the cannabis products they need to enhance and enjoy moments in their lives, without ever having to leave that moment.
Additionally, thanks to our rapid growth over the past few years, we also have the largest data set on marijuana consumption in the world. This allows us to build the most comprehensive marijuana consumer data reports ever compiled, about topics like last year’s cannabis consumer trends and the profile of the modern marijuana consumer.
In the coming years, we expect big players like Amazon to enter the cannabis market, which we’re excited about, especially as the stigma around cannabis continues to fade. The rising tide lifts all boats!
Chris Illuminati is a freelance writer and 5-time author. Read more of his work here.