USA: 27% of beer drinkers now consume cannabis

According to a new study by the Cannabiz Consumer Group (C2G), 27% of the 40,000 people surveyed said they had replaced beer with legal cannabis, or would like to do so if their state’s laws were reformed. The report also explains that people who are now turning to cannabis are doing so for the long term.

«In an emerging market, a novelty effect often occurs when new users try a product simply for the experience but do not continue using it. The results suggest that this will not be the case with legal cannabis, as consumers tend to be more knowledgeable about the products they purchase—for example, in terms of understanding potency, available strains and formats, and uses for pain management, holistic health, and relaxation. C2G predicts that the novelty effect will not be felt in the beer industry.»

C2G estimates that «legal cannabis could cannibalize 7.1% of the beer industry’s current revenue. » Cannabis sales could thus siphon off up to $2 billion from the beer industry’s current revenue if adult-use cannabis were legalized nationwide.

Another study published in Brewbound Last November’s data showed a similar trend in the U.S. states where cannabis is legal (Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, in this case). «While cannabis sales began at different times in these states, and with all three states having now fully implemented their sales infrastructure, beer’s underperformance in these markets worsened throughout 2016.»

The C2G report concludes as follows: «Last year, there were 24.6 million legal cannabis consumers in the United States. Legalization has since expanded to other states, either for medical or recreational use, or both. C2G predicts that the penetration rate of legal cannabis will reach a level comparable to that of beer and wine, and that a mature market will create a $50 billion industry.» The current beer industry is worth $100 billion.

Of course, we don’t know how the cannabis industry will evolve in the U.S., but the legal cannabis industry poses stiff competition for the alcohol industry. Could this be one of the reasons France is hesitant to change its laws?