Convenience retailers have a clear opportunity to enter the cannabis category because consumer demand exists.
This insight comes from Melissa Vonder Haar, managing director of TradeWorks for iSee Store Innovations and chair of CSP’s C-Store Cannabis Board.
“There is a market for this product, and that is why convenience should be in it,” said Vonder Haar, who spoke Monday at CSP’s first Cannabis Forum in Lombard, Illinois. The inaugural event runs through Wednesday.
Vonder Haar said getting here has been a gradual process for the industry. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized the sale of products containing less than 0.3% THC by weight nationwide.
In the years following legalization, Vonder Harr said convenience retailers dabbled in CBD, before exploring innovations in hemp-derived THC products. She also said industry engagement has expanded through initiatives like the creation of CSP’s C-Store Cannabis board. She also credited the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) for allowing hemp companies at the NACS Show and taking a pro-regulation stance on hemp.
“This signals the two industries are beginning to recognize what they have to offer each other,” she said.
When it comes to sales, Vonder Haar said cannabis is a proven market with adult-use recreational sales reaching $31.6 billion in 2025—already surpassing energy drink sales—and projected to climb to $40 billion by 2029, citing market and research and analytics firm BDSA, Boulder, Colorado.
Cannabis is emerging as a key category as consumer preferences continue to shift in its direction, Vonder Haar said.
Vonder Haar, citing a Bump Williams Consulting Adult Beverage Consumer Survey, said 80% of consumers surveyed anticipate cannabis replacing alcohol in some occasions. Nearly 56% were interested in trying THC beverages or had tried THC beverages and about 46% predicted they will increase THC consumption.
“This data was across all ages and all genders,” she said.
When it comes to convenience retail, Vonder Haar said it is uniquely positioned to lead in cannabis as it is already the go-to destination for age-gated products.
“When you are trying to launch a new category, convenience is where you do it,” she said. “We’ve done it before with energy drinks, craft beer, vape and modern oral products—and now we can unlock the true potential of cannabis. It’s all very exciting.”
Click here to learn more about CSP's Cannabis Forum.
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