A study conducted by researchers from the University of Connecticut and Georgia State University evaluated retail sales of alcohol for more than 2,000 U.S. counties between the years of 2006 and 2015, in states where medical cannabis was legalized and in states where it was not.
One goal of the study was to determine if access to medical marijuana would lead to reduced alcohol use, as some drinkers may replace alcohol with marijuana, rather than consuming both regularly.
In 2016, data shows that the alcohol industry overall saw a large decline in consumption, by 1.3 percent – a whole percent higher than the 0.3 percent seen year-over-year for the five years prior. This sort of decline is especially evident in states like Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, where cannabis was legalized for adult consumption within the last five years.
“We find that marijuana and alcohol are strong substitutes. … States legalizing medical marijuana use experience significant decreases in the aggregate sale of alcohol, beer and wine. Moreover, the effects are not short-lived, with significant reductions observed up to 24 months after the passage of the law.”
Read more from Marijuana Times that originally reported the story.
Cannabis has been proven safer than alcohol on more than one occasion. No one has died from a cannabis overdose or consumption, or from cannabis-only impaired driving, for example. So, is it really a terrible thing to see that alcohol sales have declined since medical marijuana has been available?
