Big Trends in Cannabis Edibles for 2025

Margaret 00:00:04 Friends, welcome to episode 283. And today we are talking about 2025 edibles trends. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles where I help you take control of your high life. I'm your host and Certified Ganjier Margaret and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here. And welcome back, my friends. We are going to be doing another fantastic episode of Bite Me Today, and I'm really looking forward to this subject matter, because I think there's lots of things happening in the cannabis industry that are really exciting. But don't take my word for it. This episode is a compilation of thoughts and predictions from folks who work every day in the cannabis industry, and they're going to share their insights with you. Stay tuned for a really fun episode today! If you have just discovered the show for the first time. I'm really excited to have you here. How did you discover the show? Let me know! I'd love to hear from new listeners and if you've been around for a while.

Margaret 00:01:11 Thank you. Thank you for being here. It's not easy creating a show from scratch, which I did five years ago, five and a half years ago, and I wouldn't be here without the regular listeners who support me each and every week. So thank you. I'm here to ask you all as well. How is your mental wealth going so far this year? Prioritizing sleep. Diet. Exercise. Stress management? I'm working on all those aspects to have the best year possible. Now, of course, I've been working on some of these for a number of years. For me, one of the things that really I've been working on more as of late is trying to get to bed earlier. And I do go to bed at a reasonable time, but I will often find myself doomscrolling. I'm sure many of you are familiar with that mindless habit that keeps us. Keeps us up far longer than we were intending to. Or stay up watching a show on my laptop, you know, with a goal to get off my phone completely.

Margaret 00:02:08 But I'm not always successful, and I find myself staying up longer than I want to, and then my sleep isn't as good as it can be, and sleep is so important. The reason it's been listed first and all those five health markers is because it is so important. The science behind it now is just growing about how important it is to get your sleep so you can wake up feeling refreshed so you can heal so you can feel better. Like all these magical things happen when you're sleeping. While I often use cannabis in the evenings to unwind and relax, and it does help me with some sleep, I've also found that combined with magic mind sleep, I get to sleep faster and I enjoy a deeper sleep as well, which is pretty important. And I often can check my scores on my ring because I have an o ring that will allow me to see the kind of sleep that I'm getting, because as an as an adjunct to that, I can also tell when I've had a drink. If I've had a glass of beer or a wine.

Margaret 00:03:01 Later in the evening, it will disrupt my sleep and I can see that too. And so I'm really working on getting that better sleep, because I just feel so much better the following day and I get so much more done. Otherwise I can sometimes find myself really dragging my feet, especially mid-afternoon. I'm sure many of you have that same feeling. So I use magic mind when I'm sitting down in the morning to work, because it gives me that focus and clarity that I really crave. That helps me work without distractions. And then magic mind sleep when I go to bed. And those two things have been really helping me to prioritize my health so far this year. And it's a wonderful tool in the toolkit that includes a host of other things that I'm using, like cannabis, meditation, exercise, keeping the sweets to a minimum. That's one reason why I infuse my my sweets, because then I can only have so many. So there's all kinds of things you can do to sort of build that toolkit so you can have a better mental health and resilience in 2025.

Margaret 00:03:55 So why not join me in making 2025 the year you build your mental resilience? You can improve your sleep and your awake clarity with magic mind. It's doctor validated, backed by research, and you can get 45% off the Magic Mind bundle with my link. It'll be in the show notes, but it's magic mind. Com forward slash bite me Jan. And with that, let's get into the trends in 2025. Now most of these are going to be around edibles but not exclusively. And I've got some really interesting feedback from folks who were willing to share what they thought we were going to see in 2025. As far as cannabis and edibles goes. These are people who work every day in the cannabis industry. They have their ear to the ground. And I mean, I do two to an extent, but not the same way that these folks do. Let's start at the beginning with Warren Bobrow. Warren was a guest on my show. Oh, probably five and a half years ago. He was one of the first.

Margaret 00:04:57 Not the first, but he was at the beginning, one of the first guests that I ever had on my show. Warren is known as the cocktail whisperer, and he has also created a beverage for the cannabis market in the US. With that, I'll let him tell you what he thinks is going to be happening in 2025 with edibles in particular beverages.

Warren Bobrow 00:05:15 Hi, this is Warren Bobrow, and I think we're drinks should be going where I hope that they're going is to make well prepared, delicious craft drinks using the best ingredients that money can buy that are not seltzers, that go beautifully with food and complement your dinner and complement your lunch and complement. Complement your lifestyle. Not just get high quick products, but products that speak clearly to the quality of the ingredients at hand And using hash, rosin, live hash, rosin from small farms. Preferably female owned, like I do out in New Mexico with my, craft cannabis, live hash, rosin, frozen custard. The recipe with Dutch bliss. And I just hope that people use better ingredients.

Warren Bobrow 00:06:16 Simply prepared with love. That's it.

Margaret 00:06:19 Next we have Jackie MacAskill, and Jackie is the author of Chill Wine Lovers Introduction to Cannabis, which is a wonderful book. If you're looking to introduce cannabis to any of the wine lovers in your life. She is also the co-founder of Hash Colas. This is what Jackie had to say about cannabis trends in 2025. So the first point she makes is the expansion of cannabis beverages. This expansion is attributed to consumers seeking alternatives to alcohol and traditional edibles. As a result, we'll see more tea, cocktail flavors and sparkling waters available. This will continue to contribute to a greater normalization of cannabis and social settings. She also points out a rise in female consumers. Point number two. Producers and retailers will increasingly focus on edibles, tinctures and topicals, and beverages that appeal to female consumers, who make over 80% of the purchasing decisions in the US and are a fast growing segment in cannabis. And number three, an increase in low dose and minor based products. This trend will reflect the shift towards health conscious consumption, and will support products that are designed to promote stress relief, relaxation and overall well-being without the intense psychoactive effects.

Margaret 00:07:33 Next, we have Keena Moffett and she has also been on the podcast. Flower and foodie. This is what she had to say. Thank you for including me in your upcoming episode. I'm excited to share my thoughts for what's ahead in 2025, in the cannabis edibles and beverages space. One of the most exciting shifts I'm seeing as how millennials and Gen Z are collectively moving away from alcohol consumption in favor of mocktails and craft drinks. This cultural pivot is creating a tremendous opportunity for cannabis and herbal infused beverages to take center stage. These products have the potential to redefine social experiences, offering the same sophistication and ritual we associate with bars or cocktail parties just without the alcohol. What excites me most is how this trend leaves the door wide open for mixology innovation. Cannabis infusion and adult beverages is an untapped frontier. Blending herbalism with the art of crafting flavors that are both enjoyable and functional. Think bespoke cannabis mocktails featuring terpenes and adaptogens designed to enhance mood, promote relaxation or spark creativity. The result? A social experience that's elevated, mindful and perfectly suited to the modern foodie.

Margaret 00:08:46 As someone passionate about the intersection of cannabis, food evolution and creative culinary experiences. I see 2025 is the year when infused beverages become not only an alternative, but a mainstay in adult social culture. The potential to bring herbal wisdom and culinary artistry into this space is truly inspiring, and I can't wait to see how it evolves. Next, we have Amanda Breeze and she and her co-host Ryan of The Smoking Spot shared their their predictions for 2025, focusing more on flavor.

Amanda Breeze 00:09:22 Hi, I'm Amanda Breeze.

Ryan Heron 00:09:24 And I'm Ryan Herron.

Amanda Breeze 00:09:25 And we're the hosts of the Smoking Spot podcast. These are our predictions for flavors in 2025.

Ryan Heron 00:09:31 I think we're going to see edible makers having more fun. They're getting bored of the old watermelon and mandarin orange flavors. I just picked up a bread and butter pickle flavored 100 milligram edible last week. And I think as packaging costs have come down a lot for these guys. It's really easy for them to flex on a dime and drop new flavors. So we're going to see weird one offs, chef collaborations and more fruity combos that we haven't seen until this year.

Amanda Breeze 00:10:01 Okay, my prediction for 2025 is that as we're seeing brands moving away from refined sugars, but simultaneously the rise of the luxury cookie companies, there's going to be an influx of sweet bakery flavors that feature maple and brown sugar, maybe combined with other warm ingredients like vanilla or lychee.

Ryan Heron 00:10:21 So true. We're looking forward to hearing everyone else's predictions and a lot more flavors, smells, and edibles in 2025.

Margaret 00:10:29 Those are some fantastic predictions. Amanda and Ryan, thank you for that. And this really leads in beautifully into this next comment by Kelly Kreutzer. She is the founder of Kreutzer Confections and I hope I have pronounced your last name correctly. Kelly. Apologies if I have not. And this is what Kelly had to say. In the US edible market. There are so many brands out there just pushing the same products. I think it's crucial for these brands to raise the bar when it comes to other ingredients and infusion methods. For my own creations, I go with solvent less cannabis like hash or rosin, along with fresh ingredients.

Margaret 00:11:05 It really makes a difference in the overall edible experience. I'm hoping to see more brands stepping up and improving the quality of ingredients they use across the board. Next up, we have chef Adam VanderMeer of your Canna chef sharing his thoughts. His predictions for 2025.

Adam Vandermay 00:11:21 Hey Margaret, it's Adam from your canna chef. And thank you for asking me to kind of put my $0.02 in as to where I think the trends in edibles will go this year. I personally think that that that food is the way of the future for cannabis. And quite frankly, I would love to see the trend be that infusions become part of of kitchen pantries. That that adding in cannabis into into even a Tuesday night meal is becomes the norm. And that's how we get our medicine. I know this is how I do getting getting things into pantries. I think. I think that and normalizing it that way. absolutely love listening. And, I'll put in a plug here for the Bite Me Cannabis Club, too, because if any of the listeners there haven't been there, go over it is so awesome.

Adam Vandermay 00:12:22 And, we'll see you there.

Margaret 00:12:25 Love it. And I appreciate the plug, Adam as well. Next we have the predictions from Karen of Sense and Purpose, and she says in general, current consumers will look for even more convenience and good value. Smaller format flower will continue to decline. Pre-Rolls will continue to be the fastest growing in combustibles. If, as a technology improves the vape in the vape category, this growth will also pick up. Until then, it will see steady but slow growth. Newer consumers, specifically women and people 55 years old and up, will become more central to category space allocation and product assortment relaxation sleep than anxiety. Mental health are the primary need states to address edibles, specifically gummies. We'll see continued strong growth due to variety and cost effectiveness. We'll see a surge when the regulations are amended to allow 100 milligram THC per package, which would allow ten milligrams max per individual piece, which is quite a bit more than what we're allowed today in Canada. Beverages will see exponential growth as more and more consumers move away from alcohol.

Margaret 00:13:39 Wellness as a subcategory will outpace the growth of the more traditional, high potency, low price offerings that dominate the category today. From an industry perspective, we will continue to see a proliferation of bankruptcies due to massive loans coming due and or the inequity of the balance of power between LPs, licensed producers and brands and the flow of cash. This will most likely lead to a significant increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions. That's a really insightful piece that hasn't been considered yet, and I appreciate that, Karen. And last but not least, I have the take of Corinne of the Week and Bake podcast, and here's what she had to say. Oh, girl.

Corinne Tobias 00:14:19 You know, I'm going to do DIY because I don't know anything that's going on in the industry. I was like, oh shit, do I have to go to a dispensary and ask somebody what the trends are? no, I, I obviously always come at things from a DIY angle. And I think that the biggest trend, at least for me, and as I've been developing for my new book, Highly Medicinal, has been the use of concentrates and how I really don't want to do it any other way.

Corinne Tobias 00:14:45 And I think that concentrates are the easy button. There's so many good, high quality products that are on the market now, especially here in Washington. You know, we have access to are so made with food grade alcohol that sun grown, that single strain and a bunch of different, you know, cannabinoid profiles. And also after talking to Doctor Jo, the guy who wrote the cannabis and cancer connection and talking about the different things that are extracted and expressed with different concentrates and much more, just interested in using them to make medicine. They taste better. They're easier. There's no cleanup. They're really affordable. When you think about it from a milligram perspective, and you can get great deals on them. Full spectrum concentrates cooking with that for the win. So that's my prediction in 2025 that everyone is just going to give up on flower unless you're growing it and start cooking with concentrates and enjoy your life and your time in your cannabis kitchen. So much more.

Margaret 00:15:43 And that's everyone. And I think if we were to do a wrap up, because there's obviously a number of things that stood out to me, there's a number of things that a lot of experts agreed on.

Margaret 00:15:52 One is that we're going to see more of a health focus around cannabis usage, and maybe that comes with more consumers over the age of 55, women who are getting into cannabis or more cannabis. Curious. It also sounds then that people are now that we have legalization happening in more and more jurisdictions, people are becoming more curious. The stigma is lessening, albeit slowly. But it's happening. Of course, discovering cannabis through food is one of the most beautiful ways to sort of start out with cannabis, because we all have to eat and there's so many options. But again, these options that we're finding on the legal market, the ones that are really resonating with people, are the ones that are using extracts instead of a distillate. So it's more of a full spectrum experience, like using hash or concentrates, and whether that's in the commercial market or whether it's people who are making edibles at home. I have been having more and more people asking me about using concentrates to make edibles, so that's something I'll be looking at in this show for 2025 as well.

Margaret 00:16:53 And perhaps also the intention and mindfulness that goes along with the cannabis consumption. I'm also excited to hear about the adoption of these interesting new formats, like beverages with younger people who are suddenly realizing that alcohol, although it's although it's completely socially acceptable. The health implications aren't always the greatest, and they certainly don't always make us feel too good. So they are really interested in adopting some of these new products and sort of moving away from alcohol. And I think that will really help us to see the integration of, of cannabis and other like compounds in social spaces, and I'm excited for that as well, because there are many times I would love to go out to a bar and be able to purchase something other than an alcoholic beverage, and if that was an option open to me, I would be. I would be all over that. Now, many of these folks do live in the US, and so their experience is going to be a little bit different from what we enjoy here in Canada. But I think the general trends, it seems like across either side of the border, folks seem to agree on many of these things, creating more fun flavors and more interesting products for a increasingly discerning group of customers as well.

Margaret 00:18:12 So these are all really exciting things to see for 2025. Like I mentioned, I am interested in learning more myself about using concentrates in making edibles because I've had numerous people tell me how that is their preference for infusing, whether it's at home or when they're going out to a dispensary. They want to buy something that has been infused with with a hash or a live rosin or something like that. Instead of the distillate that you commonly see, because the high is just so much more robust when you're enjoying it in a full spectrum kind of infusion. But I'm really excited about 2025 as far as these trends go. I'm I'll be very curious to see how it shakes out. So when I'm recording the episodes for December, if a lot of these shake out. But I think it's going to be an interesting year, and I'm really glad that you're all here for the ride. And next week I'm excited to have Karen on the show. From Sense and Purpose, she was mentioned earlier with some of her predictions, and so you can learn more about what she's doing in the cannabis beverages space in Canada.

Margaret 00:19:10 And of course, don't forget to check out Magic Mind. Com forward slash bite me Jan to get 45% off your Magic Mind bundle. And I am looking forward to a fabulous 2025. There's going to be a lot of fun things happening. So I'm glad you're all here for it. Do check out the Bite Me Cannabis Club, because there's going to be a lot of fun things happening over there as well. So until next week, my friends. I'm your host, Margaret. Stay high.