In its latest report, cannabis industry data, analytics and technology firm New Frontier Data analysis of the progression of regulatory oversight in the world’s two largest cannabis consumer markets.
“2021 Cannabis Regulatory Landscape: Emerging Trends in North America & Europe” provides an understanding of governmental inconsistencies and regional market dynamics shaping the regulatory landscape, as well as guidance for state and national institutions working to build and maintain a thriving yet complex industry.
The report, created in partnership with water-soluble emulsion technology company SōRSE Technology, performed a first-of-its-kind comparative assessment that concludes that the disparity in evolving regulations at the national and state levels is introducing significant uncertainty, challenges and risk for industry stakeholders globally.
It also spotlights the importance of considering consumer sentiment and behavior in the development of regional and global regulation.
“While New Frontier Data has found the overall cannabis regulatory framework to be highly fragmented and nuanced across national and state borders, we expect consumer sentiment and behavior to be the consistent driving force behind regulatory evolution, maturation, and ideally, global standardization or, at the very least, regional standardization,” noted New Frontier Data founder and Executive Chair Giadha A. DeCarcer. “Our latest study shows cannabis consumers demand quality standards that align with more mature consumer packaged goods sectors, creating opportunities across compliance, lab testing, packaging, labeling and other ancillary verticals needed to support more rigorous and standardized regulation.”
Key Report Findings
- Consumer sentiment will influence regulations with 66% of cannabis consumers agreeing that legal cannabis is safer than illegal cannabis, and 77% of consumers citing potency as a “very” or “extremely” important driver in purchasing decisions.
- Potency caps in future legislation will likely include limits on THC to protect younger and inexperienced users, and in the absence of a unified regulatory structure, states are evaluating potency caps individually.
- Inconsistent CBD regulations in Europe have created a patchwork landscape for CBD products where average per capita annual spend on CBD was projected to reach €21Billion in 2020.
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., New Frontier Data specializes in the global cannabis industry, delivering solutions that enable investors, operators, advertisers, brands, researchers, and policy makers to assess, understand, engage, and transact with the cannabis industry and its consumers.
Its self-stated mission is to inform policy and commercial activity for the global legal cannabis industry. New Frontier maintains a neutral position on the merits of cannabis legalization through comprehensive and transparent data analysis and projections that shape industry trends, dynamics, demand, and opportunity drivers.
SōRSE Technology is a water-soluble emulsion technology designed for product developers to provide consumers with a better cannabis experience with greater bioavailability, near-perfect dosing, shelf-stability, and safe ingredients. Its patent-pending technology converts oil into SōRSE, a proprietary water-soluble emulsion, for seamless integration as an ingredient in food items, beverages, topicals, and medical applications.
