About one in 5 people who find themselves abstaining from alcohol as a part of “Dry January” say they’re utilizing hashish as a substitute for assist get by the month, in keeping with a brand new survey.
Whereas most observers (33 p.c) of the month-long alcohol break say they’re not changing booze with something, 21 p.c stated that they’re choosing hashish and CBD merchandise, the ballot from CivicScience discovered.
In the case of changing alcohol for #DryJanuary, roughly 60% of alcohol abstainers are evenly cut up between non-alcoholic drinks, hashish/CBD merchandise, and soda/seltzer merchandise. See the complete story right here: https://t.co/K5n2NHlx9P pic.twitter.com/5MwjIwL0iX
— CivicScience (@CivicScience) January 12, 2023
Marijuana and cannabinoids are the commonest various, with extra folks saying they’re utilizing the substances as an alternative of alcohol this month than opted for non-alcoholic drinks (20 p.c), soda and seltzer (20 p.c) and kombucha (6 p.c).
Younger persons are the most definitely to say that they’re consuming hashish over alcohol, with 34 p.c of these 21-24 getting excessive whereas going dry, in comparison with 24 p.c of these 25-34, 22 p.c of these 35-54 and 9 p.c of these 55 and older.
The outcomes of the survey—which concerned interviews with 938 folks from January 6-11—mirror a broader substitution pattern that’s been recognized in a number of polls and research over current years: As extra states transfer to legalize marijuana, extra persons are selecting to make use of hashish over alcohol, in addition to sure pharmaceuticals like opioids.
A part of the explanation for the pattern seems to be associated to perceived dangerousness of assorted intoxicants, with most People saying that they consider hashish is safer than alcohol and tobacco, as one survey launched in October discovered.
A separate ballot launched final yr discovered that extra People now overtly admit that they smoke marijuana or eat cannabis-infused edibles than say they’ve smoked cigarettes up to now week.
Greater than twice as many People assume that marijuana has a optimistic influence on its shoppers and society at giant than say the identical about alcohol, in keeping with that Gallup survey knowledge.
That’s usually in line with the outcomes of one other ballot launched final yr exhibiting that extra People assume it’d be good if folks switched to hashish and drank much less alcohol in comparison with those that assume the substance substitution could be dangerous.
A federally funded examine that was Up to date final week additionally decided that folks dwelling in states which have legalized marijuana for grownup use are much less more likely to expertise alcohol use dysfunction in comparison with these in prohibitionist states.
The substitution impact can be noticed by an financial lens. For instance, Colorado and Washington State each took in additional income from marijuana gross sales than from both alcohol or cigarettes in Fiscal Yr 2022, in keeping with a report from the Tax Coverage Heart that was launched final yr.
In Arizona, the state generated extra tax income to the overall fund from authorized hashish gross sales than from tobacco and alcohol mixed final March.
Massachusetts is amassing extra tax income from marijuana than alcohol, state knowledge launched final yr reveals. And Illinois additionally noticed hashish taxes beat out booze for the primary time in 2021, with the state amassing about $100 million extra from adult-use marijuana than alcohol.
Advocates and stakeholders have touted these knowledge factors. Not solely do they underscore the financial alternative of legalization, however the hope is that offering regulated entry to hashish means fewer folks will use extra harmful medication like alcohol, tobacco and sure prescription drugs.
About one in three persistent ache sufferers report utilizing marijuana as a therapy possibility, and most of that group has used hashish as an alternative choice to different ache drugs, together with opioids, a current examine Up to date by the American Medical Affiliation (AMA) discovered.
One other current AMA examine discovered that state-level medical marijuana legalization is related to a vital lower in opioid prescriptions and use amongst sure most cancers sufferers.
A examine that was launched in September equally discovered that giving folks authorized entry to medical hashish can assist sufferers cut back their use of opioid painkillers, or stop use altogether, with out compromising high quality of life.
That very same month, one other examine discovered that the pharmaceutical business takes a severe financial hit after states legalize marijuana—with a median market lack of almost $10 billion for drugmakers per every legalization occasion.