• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Is legal marijuana cutting into craft beer?

October 14, 2014Chris Crowell

marijuana and craft beer

The early results are in, and it looks like beer and legal weed can be friends. Craft Brewing Business editors weren’t worried about this, but some forecasters and bean counters seemed to think that the new, hip recreational drug on the block was going to cut into the sales of the long-time staple.

Oh, but on the contrary! From the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

The legalization of medical marijuana has helped beer sales, contrary to previous research that pointed to a decline, according to a note from Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Trevor Stirling. Recreational pot use in the two states where it’s legal has so far not had a “significant impact” on beer, he said.

Per-capita beer drinking had a one-time increase of about 0.5 percent in the 10 largest states that have legalized medical marijuana, the Bernstein analyst found. While beer consumption later declined in those states, the rate of decline slowed to become more in line with the national average.

Remember that beer drinking overall is trending down, slightly, but those losses are only within those mighty Big Beer ranks. Craft beer, as we all know, is doing just fine.

Cask Unveils New Micro-Canning System for Marijuana
weed pot joint hand
Holy smokes: Commercial cannabis industry predicted to grow 60 percent, from $7.7 billion to $31.4 billion by 2021
weed craft beer sales
Is there any evidence that marijuana is dragging down craft beer sales? Um, no
MadTree Brewing
MadTree taps former Sierra Nevada sales leader for big expansion push

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. BeerLawCenter says

    October 17, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    Is legal marijuana cutting into craft beer? http://t.co/y15RXqNu9V @CraftBrewingBiz

    Log in to Reply
  2. SurreyLiquor says

    October 16, 2014 at 9:52 pm

    Is legal marijuana cutting into craft beer? http://t.co/slFcMvuK41

    Log in to Reply
  3. mrbrewreview says

    October 16, 2014 at 6:53 pm

    Is legal marijuana cutting into craft beer? http://t.co/xmUHWKWvpn via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  4. WEAREJRG says

    October 16, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    Is legal marijuana cutting into craft beer? http://t.co/Y6BKLc55PN

    Log in to Reply
  5. BREWVANApdx says

    October 16, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    Don’t worry- weed & beer can be best of friends! “Is legal marijuana cutting into craft beer?” http://t.co/3cGtfT0SO0 #craftbeer #legalpot

    Log in to Reply
  6. CrowdBrewed says

    October 15, 2014 at 5:21 pm

    Is legal marijuana cutting into craft beer? http://t.co/8IygPUbYWk @craftbrewingbiz #weed #craftbeer #study #sales http://t.co/6SpaKRFOSX

    Log in to Reply
  7. RegnierIns says

    October 15, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Is legal marijuana cutting into craft beer? http://t.co/oOEvVi8nmh

    Log in to Reply
  8. GlobalBevERP says

    October 14, 2014 at 5:10 pm

    Beer and legal weed can be friends–legalization of medical marijuana has helped beer sales #Beer #medicalmarijuana
    http://t.co/aw5VnKbINv

    Log in to Reply
  9. crsimp01 says

    October 14, 2014 at 11:42 am

    Is legal marijuana cutting into craft beer? http://t.co/mxUVmCem0a via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  10. Cerveza Artesanal El Sauzal says

    October 14, 2014 at 11:37 am

    Cerveza Artesanal El Sauzal liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • How Virginia Beer Co. used the shutdown to overhaul its facility (and keep people employed)
  • Craft Malt Conference goes virtual in February, here’s the agenda
  • Firestone Walker just added a massive solar array and canopy on site
  • INDEVCO Plastics debuts 50 percent postconsumer recycled shrink wrap for beverage packaging

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • virginia-beer-co-renovationHow Virginia Beer Co. used the shutdown to overhaul its facility (and keep people employed)
    January 19, 2021
  • Clean air, clean beer: New Ingersoll Rand oil-less reciprocating air compressors are ideal for breweries (aeration to canning)
    January 18, 2021
  • Non-alcoholic beer brand Athletic Brewing closes $17M+ in funding with famous backers, selects Crafted ERP, eyes big growth
    January 18, 2021
  • Watch: This awareness video on human trafficking from beer wholesaler Markstein Sales will move you to action
    January 14, 2021
  • Distribution updates: Massachusetts brewers celebrate franchise reform, Yuengling goes to Texas with Molson Coors and more from Bell’s, Stone and beyond
    January 14, 2021
  • COVID19 coronavirus mask moneyWhy you need to maximize engagement during a pandemic
    January 13, 2021

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2021 · CBB Media LLC

Continue ...

sponsored by