Pre-rolls have gone from an afterthought to a pillar of modern cannabis retail. In the past five years, they’ve consistently outpaced category growth as shoppers—both medical and adult-use—reach for ready-to-spark convenience and familiar, controllable effects. By 2024, U.S. consumers purchased an estimated 316 million pre-rolls, roughly $3.1 billion in sales and over 15% of the legal market, according to Headset data reported by Forbes. Other trackers that measure additional markets and sub-segments peg the number even higher, with Flowhub estimating $4.1 billion and 394 million units over a similar time frame. The exact totals vary by methodology, but the trend line is unmistakable: pre-rolls are one of cannabis retail’s hottest lanes.
Industry analysts point to a sharp acceleration since mid-2023. Between June 2023 and June 2024, pre-rolls saw the largest revenue increase of any major category—up about 11.9%—as consumers gravitated toward products they can use immediately without grinders, papers, or hardware. Within pre-rolls, infused SKUs have surged to a sizable share (around 43% of the segment on average), while multi-packs and minis broaden the use cases from solo sessions to social sharing. READ MORE ABOUT: MJBizDaily, Flowhub
Why many consumers still choose smoking over vaping or other forms
1) Faster onset and easier self-titration. Inhaled cannabis delivers cannabinoids to the bloodstream within seconds to minutes, with peak effects often arriving in the first 10–30 minutes. That rapid feedback loop lets both medical and recreational users “start low and go slow” in real time—take a puff, wait, and adjust—reducing the guesswork that can accompany edibles. Health Canada and clinical summaries echo this pharmacokinetic profile, contrasting it with edibles that can take 30–120 minutes to kick in and peak hours later. For patients managing breakthrough symptoms (e.g., nausea, spasticity) or consumers seeking predictable session control, the immediacy of a pre-roll is a decisive advantage.
2) Flavor, aroma, and the “whole flower” experience. Many smokers prize the sensory richness of burning flower: the bouquet, the mouthfeel, and the evolving taste through a joint. Studies exploring cannabis aroma and subjective effects suggest pleasant scent is positively associated with pleasant experiences—helping explain why connoisseurs chase cultivar-specific terpene profiles and why pre-roll variety packs are popular discovery tools. Vapes can be excellent, but some consumers feel they flatten nuance compared with a fresh pre-roll.
3) Hardware-free trust and simplicity. Smoking a pre-roll requires no device, charging cable, or cartridge compatibility—just a lighter. For some, that reduces points of failure and increases confidence about what’s being inhaled. Safety perceptions were notably shaped by the 2019 EVALI crisis, which the CDC linked primarily to vitamin E acetate in illicit THC vape products. While the outbreak subsided following public warnings and the removal of problematic additives, the episode nudged parts of the market toward “plant-only” formats like pre-rolls and flower.
4) Social ritual and shareability. The joint remains one of cannabis culture’s most recognizable rituals. From park hangs to post-dinner walks, a pre-roll is easy to pass around—especially in mini or multi-pack formats that fit different tolerances and group sizes. Survey work continues to show inhalation among the most common modes of use, and the joint is still the icon. In 2023, 23% of U.S. adults reported past-year use and 16% past-month use, underscoring how mainstream cannabis consumption has become—and how social contexts drive product choices. READ MORE ABOUT: Pew Research Center
5) Cost transparency and accessibility. Pre-rolls give clear cost-per-session cues and often come in trial-friendly sizes. For budget-minded shoppers, “dogwalkers” and value multi-packs create low-commitment entry points compared with buying a whole eighth or a premium cartridge. That price/format flexibility helps explain why pre-rolls broadened beyond “tourist” buys into everyday baskets in 2023–2025 retail data.
Who’s buying pre-rolls (and what they’re buying)
Consumer surveys indicate pre-roll penetration is high among active smokers. A 2024 category report found 82% of cannabis smokers purchase pre-rolls, with full-gram singles still popular but multi-packs leading in format. The same report suggests ~70% of pre-roll buyers purchase infused joints at least occasionally—often for special occasions—while premium tips and papers signal a willingness to trade up for mouthfeel and draw. These micro-preferences mirror broader premiumization seen in other CPG categories. READ MORE ABOUT: Custom Cones USA
At the market level, third-party point-of-sale and retail dashboards consistently show pre-rolls gaining mix share versus flower in several jurisdictions, and reaching near parity with flower in parts of Canada. That shift reflects convenience, but also retail merchandising: pre-rolls are easy to cross-sell at checkout and fit neatly into curated menus by strain mood, potency band, and price tier.
How smoking stacks up to other formats
It’s worth being clear-eyed about trade-offs. Edibles and sublinguals offer smoke-free options and longer duration—beneficial for some medical use cases—but their delayed onset can lead to accidental overconsumption without careful dosing. By contrast, inhalation provides speed and titration, which many patients and wellness users value when symptoms are intermittent. Public-health resources and clinical summaries emphasize these onset differences and recommend cautious dosing across all forms. READ MORE ABOUT: Canada.ca, AHA Journals
Vaping flower or oil can also deliver rapid effects and reduced combustion byproducts. Still, consumer confidence in vapes wavered during EVALI; although regulators and reputable brands have improved safeguards, awareness of past risks keeps some customers anchored to joints. For medical users sensitive to additives—or anyone who prefers the fewest unknowns—pre-rolls present a straightforward ingredient list: milled flower (and, if infused, clearly labeled concentrates). READ MORE HERE: CDC
The bottom line
Across the last five years, multiple data sources converge on the same conclusion: pre-rolls are one of legal cannabis’s standout growth stories, propelled by convenience, shareability, and the familiar, fast-acting control that smoking provides. With category sales in the $3–4+ billion range depending on dataset and double-digit year-over-year momentum in 2023–2024, retailers and brands are investing heavily in infused SKUs, minis, and curated variety packs. For consumers—medical and recreational alike—their enduring appeal is simple: light, inhale, feel it quickly, and adjust. FOR MORE INFORMATION LOOK HERE: Forbes, Flowhub, MJBizDaily