Science & Health
Marijuana Is Helping People To Completely Eliminate Or Reduce Their Alcohol Drinking, New Poll For Sober October Shows
Most people who use cannabis say it has either completely eliminated or greatly decreased their alcohol drinking, according to a new poll.
The survey of marijuana consumers, conducted by cannabis telehealth platform NuggMD and released to mark the month of “Sober October” in which many people seek to cut back on drinking, found that 31.5 percent of respondents said they have “completely replaced alcohol with cannabis.”
Another 25.8 percent said that marijuana has “greatly decreased my alcohol consumption” and 8.5 percent said it has “somewhat decreased my alcohol consumption.”
In all, two-thirds of cannabis consumers (65.8 percent) say that marijuana has helped them to completely eliminate or at least somewhat decrease their alcohol use.
Meanwhile, 9.8 percent said cannabis has “not changed my alcohol consumption,” 2.1 percent said it has “somewhat increased my alcohol consumption” and 2.7 percent said it has “greatly increased my alcohol consumption.”
The survey involved interviews with a representative sample of 1,005 cannabis consumers in state-legal markets between September 24-26 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.09 percentage points.
The results are the latest in a series of recent market analyses, surveys and studies indicating that the cannabis sector, as well as the growing marijuana legalization movement, have proved to be a disruptive force for the alcohol industry.
A study published in August, for example, showed that most people who consume cannabis THC beverages end up drinking less alcohol.
Two-thirds of participants (65 percent) said they drank less alcohol during the research period while they were consuming THC beverages. Fifty-six percent said they would consider using cannabis drinks “as a regular replacement for alcohol,” 53 percent reported a decreased craving for alcohol and 47 percent said they now prefer the THC beverage they tested over their usual alcoholic drink.
A survey released last year showed that four in five adults who drink cannabis-infused beverages say they’ve reduced their alcohol intake—and more than a fifth have quit drinking alcohol altogether.
That survey was released shortly after a leading alcohol industry group added a company that makes THC-infused drinks to its membership roster for the first time, further signaling the cultural shift.
This also comes at a time when younger Americans are increasingly using cannabis-infused beverages as a substitute for alcohol—with one in three millennials and Gen Z workers choosing THC drinks over booze for after-work activities like happy hours, according to a new poll of 1,000 young professionals.
A poll released last year found that a majority of Americans believe marijuana represents a “healthier option” than alcohol—and most also expect cannabis to be legal in all 50 states within the next five years.
