Science & Health
More Young Adults Are Opting For Cannabis Drinks Over Alcohol At After-Work Happy Hours, Poll Shows
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.
The survey from Drug Rehab USA assessed the recreational preferences of 1,000 employed adults, finding more evidence that as the marijuana legalization movement achieves greater success and as awareness of alcohol-related harms has spread, a significant portion of those generations are opting for cannabis over booze.
All told, 66 percent of American adults say they’ve tried alcohol alternatives over the past six months. And 24 percent of respondents said they’ve “at least partially” replaced alcohol with non-alcohol or cannabis-based drinks.
That trend is being led by millennials and Gen Z, one of three of whom said they used THC beverages instead of alcohol drinks.
“To unwind after work, 45 percent drink alcohol, while 24 percent use nicotine, 20 percent turn to cannabis, and 16 percent choose alcohol alternatives like mocktails, non-alcoholic beer, or CBD,” the survey found.
“When it comes to winding down after a long day, Americans are reaching for a mix of familiar comforts and emerging alternatives,” Drug Rehab USA said. “While alcohol still dominates, the competition between nicotine and cannabis shows how habits are evolving across generations.”
“After-work rituals are no longer limited to a nightly drink—or even to alcohol at all. From THC-infused beverages to nicotine pouches and non-alcoholic alternatives, today’s habits reflect a broader redefinition of what it means to unwind. While motivations vary—stress, routine, social connection—the through-line is clear: Americans are turning to consumable rituals to draw a line between work and rest. For many, those rituals begin within the hour and recur multiple times a week.”
The survey findings largely track with other research assessing emerging trends in cannabis and alcohol use.
For example, a recent rodent study determined that the cannabinoid CBD reduces rates of binge drinking and alcohol blood concentrations.
Results of a separate study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry also indicated that a single, 800-milligram dose of CBD can help manage certain alcohol cravings among people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), supporting the use of the marijuana component as a potential treatment option for problem drinkers.
Federally funded research into the effects of cannabis on alcohol use that was published in May also found that people who used marijuana immediately before drinking subsequently consumed fewer alcoholic beverages and reported lower cravings for alcohol.
The study follows a separate survey analysis published in March that found that three in four young adults reported substituting cannabis for alcohol at least once per week—a “fast-emerging” trend that reflects the “rapid expansion” of the hemp product marketplace.
The report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) found that, across various demographics, cannabis is increasingly being used as an alternative to alcohol and even non-alcoholic beverages as more companies—including major multi-state marijuana operators (MSOs)—expand their offerings.
The findings were largely consist with a growing body of studies indicating that cannabis—whether federally legal hemp or still-prohibited marijuana—is being utilized as a substitute for many Americans amid the reform movement.
An earlier survey from YouGov, for example, found that a majority of Americans believe regular alcohol consumption is more harmful than regular marijuana use. Even so, more adults said they personally prefer drinking alcohol to consuming cannabis despite the health risks.
A separate poll released in January determined that more than half of marijuana consumers say they drink less alcohol, or none at all, after using cannabis.
Yet another survey—which was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and released in December—found that young adults are nearly three times more likely to use marijuana than alcohol on a daily or near-daily basis.
That poll provided more granular, age-specific findings than a similar report published last year, finding that more Americans overall smoke marijuana on a daily basis than drink alcohol every day—and that alcohol drinkers are more likely to say they would benefit from limiting their use than cannabis consumers are.
A separate study published in the journal Addiction last year similarly found that there are more U.S. adults who use marijuana daily than who drink alcohol every day.
In December, BI also published the results of a survey indicating that substitution of cannabis for alcohol is “soaring” as the state-level legalization movement expands and relative perceptions of harm shift. A significant portion of Americans also said in that poll that they substitute marijuana for cigarettes and painkillers.
Another BI analysis from last September projected that the expansion of the marijuana legalization movement will continue to post a “significant threat” to the alcohol industry, citing survey data that suggests more people are using cannabis as a substitute for alcoholic beverages such a beer and wine.
Yet another study on the impact of marijuana consumption on people’s use of other drugs that was released in December suggested that, for many, cannabis may act as a less-dangerous substitute, allowing people to reduce their intake of substances such as alcohol, methamphetamine and opioids like morphine.
A study out of Canada, where marijuana is federally legal, found that legalization was “associated with a decline in beer sales,” suggesting a substitution effect.
The analyses comport with other recent survey data that more broadly looked at American views on marijuana versus alcohol. For example, a Gallup survey found that respondents view cannabis as less harmful than alcohol, tobacco and nicotine vapes—and more adults now smoke cannabis than smoke cigarettes.
A separate survey released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and Morning Consult last June also found that Americans consider marijuana to be significantly less dangerous than cigarettes, alcohol and opioids—and they say cannabis is less addictive than each of those substances, as well as technology.
Meanwhile, a leading alcohol industry association is calling on Congress to dial back language in a House committee-approved spending bill that would ban most consumable hemp products, instead proposing to maintain the legalization of naturally derived cannabinoids from the crop and only prohibit synthetic items.
