Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

1.     The next group of people I talked to are actually medical marijuana patients in Gainesville. My roommate once wrote an article about a UF study regarding HIV patients and how medical marijuana helps them, so she was able to give me their contact information so I could speak with them.

2.     During my interviews with the three patients, one of them said that price matters most and the other two mentioned they were more concerned with location/convenience. Because medical marijuana is part of the legal economic market, prices per gram are pretty standard and only increase when THC or CBD concentration increases. One of the interviewees actually recently stopped his consumption of marijuana due to professional reasons, but mentioned that when symptoms of nausea and vomiting due to HIV caused him the most distress, he wanted to find the closest dispensary and get the product immediately. An older female HIV patient said she uses marijuana often to help with joint pain and stiffness.

3.     They all mentioned that the closest dispensary to them is Knox (located on 34^th Street), but they take cash only and you have to go in the store to buy the products. Because Knox doesn’t have an app or official delivery system, all three patients are most used to buying medical marijuana in stores, not online.

4.     Because marijuana is considered a medicine for them, they’re going to buy the product no matter the price. So, every purchase is a good one because this medicine alleviates pain associated with chronic illness. However, all three said they pay attention to THC concentration and prices, which is important because that means they want a “street” pricing for high quality marijuana.

5.     Based off of these interviews, my findings reveal that patients are mostly concerned with price and convenience when it comes to buying medical marijuana. Thus, patients want standardized prices and easy access. All three were very supportive of an app that would let them plan ahead, but one interviewee also mentioned they only went and bought the product when the symptoms were obvious to them. All three also agreed that there should be more medical marijuana opportunities for patients in Gainesville.

6.     The alternative is simple – patients go to the dispensary and buy the product in-stores. While this method works for some patients, that doesn’t mean it’s best for all patients. It’s important to accommodate those who can’t get the medicine themselves. I learned that patients also pay the most attention to the price and quality when deciding where to buy the product, but also choose where to buy based on what’s closest to them.