After surveying cannabis users across generations about their habits while high, the study found that Gen Z stood out for making under-the-influence purchases their sober selves later regretted.
According to the findings, 63% of Gen Z cannabis users said they had made at least one purchase while high that they later regretted — the highest share of any generation surveyed. That compares with 49% of millennials, 25% of Gen X cannabis users and just 16% of Baby Boomers. The results suggest that younger cannabis users are more prone to shop online when under the influence.
High-spending habits can add up fast
Across cannabis users of all generations, four in 10 said they had made at least one purchase they later regretted while smoking.
But for some Gen Z consumers, in particular, these weren’t isolated shopping mistakes. About 34% said they had made at least four purchases they later regretted while high in the past year, suggesting that the behavior may be a recurring pattern.
That said, CardRates.com’s survey’s findings are not too surprising. A 2025 survey by specialist bank Vanquis revealed that Gen Z shoppers in the UK make nearly double the number of impulse purchases — under the influence or not — compared to the average person. The researchers found that to be thanks, in large part, to addictive shopping platforms like TikTok.
Wherever consumers are shopping while high, however, the dollar amount spent can be significant. Among all cannabis users surveyed by CardRates.com who reported regretted purchases, half said they spent more than $250 on those purchases in total. Nearly three in 10, or 28%, said they spent more than $500.
The survey doesn’t suggest that cannabis itself is necessarily responsible for making poor financial decisions. Rather, the results highlight how intoxication can intersect with an environment designed to make spending as easy and frictionless as possible.
The simple money move experts recommend
Cannabis is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the U.S., with about 52.5 million Americans, or about 19% of the population, having used it at least once in 2021, according to the CDC. About three in 10 people who use cannabis have cannabis use disorder, which can exacerbate impulsive shopping behaviors since cannabis directly affects decision-making.
