As discretionary funds shrink in most pockets, consumers find that both supermarket and dispensary shelves look sparser and more expensive than usual. Most habitual consumers may react by opting for more affordable cannabis products. But are affordable options becoming less available?

President of Veritas Fine Cannabis, Jon Spadafora, uncovers the connection between premium quality and premium pricing and just how consumers and producers are driving new market standards.

Today, consumers have access to more varieties and higher quality cannabis flower, oil, and a growing range of alternative extracts. It’s been traditionally difficult to predict quality solely from the physical and olfactory characterization of marijuana flowers before legalization. But consumers are getting more thoughtful about products and what goes into producing them. They’re looking at labels and can weigh factors such as cost and quality into their purchasing decisions.

“We have crossed a line where most people who are purchasing cannabis have done so primarily in legal environments. It's not like the old days when you bought cannabis from someone who had it without a ton of control over what was available to purchase. Today consumers go into a store with certain expectations, and it is on the brands to make information available that allows the consumer to purchase the right product,” responded Spadafora when asked how consumer habits are adapting to premium-priced cannabis.

Read the full article on CannabisTech.