Some beer loving states are facing an uphill battle with marijuana
It is classic favorite of the public, beer holds a grip and is the favored intoxicant of those who imbibe. It is the most consumed alcohol in the world. In fact, after water and tea, beer is actually one of the most popular drinks in the world! According to reports, in the 2022 brewing year, global beer production ended up increasing slightly year-on-year by 1.3%. This translates to almost 50 BILLION gallons each year.
RELATED: Swap Your Favorite Alcohol Drink With Weed
Data is clear cannabis is better than alcohol for many reasons. People die from alcohol overdoses. There has never been a fatal marijuana overdose. Yet, states who love beer are slow to weed. There are exceptions. If you are a beer distillery, you might have a good reason if you aren’t invested in marijuana. Gen Z is drifting away from alcohol and California has seen a decline specifically in beer sales, in part due ot legal marijuana.
The number one beer state is New Hampshire. The Granite States pops a cold one more often per capita than any other state. Yet, medical marijuana is legal, but recreational use remains illegal.
Montana is big sky country and enjoys a a beer while enjoying the magnificent views. Slow to the dance, the state has legal medical and recreational marijuana. Recreational use was legalized in 2020 with dispensaries opened in January 2022
Vermont folks, while they enjoy their beer, also are enjoying their bud. The Granite state legalized medical (2018) and recreational (2022) marijuana are legal. Vermonters beat to their own drum.
North Dakota state motto includes “Liberty and Union, now and forever”. But when it comes to marijuana, there is no liberty of choice. While medical marijuana is grudgingly legal, recreational use is against the law.
Maine has been a leader in how to roll out recreational weed, and it hasn’t had the downsides for beer. A well oiled machine can make winners of all industries.
RELATED: The Most Popular Marijuana Flavors
South Dakota mirrors their neighbor to the north slowly allowing medical marijuana seeing recreational as a crime. Alcohol sales boom in the sparsely populated state.
Pennsylvania has the Philadelphia, the famed city of brotherly love, but they have no love for weed. Medical marijuana is legal, but recreational is not. Which is interesting considering the size of state and the potential tax revenue which could be generated for their budget.
Nevada believes what happen in Vegas, stays in Vegas…but the larger casino owners had to be dragged kicking and screaming into legalizing both medical and recreational. Now it has the largest dispensary in Planet 13 and soon will have Cannabition, the revolutionary marijuana immersive experience.
Hawaii allows servers to serve customers providing they are 18 years of age and if a supervisor 21 or older is present. But weed is a big no no. The state with an amazing international tourism base only has legal medical marijuana.
Wisconsin the top most popular beer state has is also one of hte few state to not allow medical or recreational marijuana.
Only 4 of the 10 of the most beer love states allow recreational marijuana. Some of the other smaller states which legalized weed have not seen an impact on beer, which is another case of live and let live.
