Marijuana consumers are encouraged by Target’s decision to start selling THC beverages at select locations—and a majority says the marketing move makes them more likely to shop at the retail giant’s stores—according to a new poll.
NuggMD, a cannabis-telehealth platform, asked marijuana users to respond about Target’s recent announcement that it would be launching a program for adult beverage brands in certain Target stores throughout Minnesota.
The question was asked to the respondents: “Will you be more inclined to shop at Target if this information is known in the future?”
A total of 50.5 percent said they would be more likely—though that notably includes 34.4 percent who said they’d only be more inclined to patronize Target if their local store carried the THC beverages. 16 percent of respondents said they would “yes,” because “they want to support Target more, now that the THC beverages are available in all stores.”
Around half (49.5%) of respondents stated that Target’s adoption of a THC beverage pilot program won’t impact where they shop.
Andrew Graham of NuggMD told MEDCAN24: “What this poll shows is pretty intuitive for big-box retailers. Selling products containing hemp-derived THC – which are currently federally-legal – will bring in more cannabis customers to these stores.”
| Does knowing this make you more likely to shop at Target in the future? Knowing this, are you more inclined to buy from Target? | ||
| n: | % | |
| Yes — but only if my local Target carries the THC-infused products | 98 | 34.4% |
| Yes — I want to support the retailer more now regardless of which locations sell the products | 46 | 16.1% |
| I will continue to behave as normal. | 141 | 49.5% |
| 285 | ||
Target has done what Congress will not, namely, provide adults with THC who desire or need it. “I’m hoping the company extends its pilot program to the entire country.” Although I am a local consumer myself, I think it is great that a national retailer makes these products accessible.
This survey included interviews of 285 cannabis users from 16 to 27 October, and a margin error of +/- 5.8 percent points.
The announcement comes at a time when Congress is debating legislation that would recriminalize products derived from hemp with quantifiable amounts of THC and states are evaluating their laws.
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A GOP senator said this week he’s willing to hold up spending legislation to end the ongoing government shutdown if Congress attempts to move forward with a controversial plan to ban hemp products containing THC—though he’s warning there’s a “real danger” he won’t prevail. In order to do so, he says that industry representatives must speak up on Capitol Hill in the next days.
“I’ve also told them—and I think they believe me—that we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is I give my consent, and the hard way is I don’t,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said, adding that he’s put forward alternative language to require a study and report on state regulatory models for hemp that could inform future revisions to the federal law.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan coalition of 39 state and territory attorneys general recently called on Congress to clarify the federal definition of hemp and impose regulations preventing the sale of intoxicating cannabinoid products.
A subsidiary of an international marijuana company has sued DoorDash Total Wine, and other companies for violating Virginia hemp law by allegedly marketing cannabis products with THC levels above the limit.
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