I read a lot of cannabis news thanks to the nature of my work. A story that recently came across my desk was intriguing, to say the least. It was a Marijuana Moment story suggesting that the cannabis industry is a looming threat to its alcohol counterpart. But how serious is that threat?
The story came about as a result of financial analysts predicting that the expansion of legal marijuana across the country will “continue to pose a significant threat to the alcohol industry.” Their reasoning? Survey data showing that people are substituting cannabis for alcoholic beverages.
These same financial analysts say that consumer preferences for alcoholic beverages are changing. Consumers apparently are showing an affinity for made-to-go drinks, which I assume means things like smoothies and specialty fruit drinks they can take with them as they do what they do. Combining changing drink preferences with the desire to substitute cannabis for alcohol spells trouble for the alcohol industry. At least that is the thinking.
It Tells Us Something About Alcohol Consumption
While the alcohol industry worries about marijuana’s impact on its operations, there is a hidden lesson in all of this. The lesson is rooted in what cannabis says about alcohol consumption. I can encapsulate the lesson in a single question: why do people use marijuana recreationally?
When you strip away the fancy language and personal justifications, recreational cannabis consumption boils down to a desire to get high. That’s why people do it. It is not a religious experience or the road to better mental health. People use marijuana because it’s intoxicating. And they want to be intoxicated.
If these same people are setting down the booze in favor of a joint, what does that say about their alcohol consumption? They were drinking alcohol for the same reason. They were drinking to experience the effects of alcohol intoxication. They have now chosen cannabis because they like its effects more.
We Just Want to Get High
I know that what I have proposed here might seem a bit far-fetched, but I don’t know how to interpret the data any other way. We use all sorts of explanations to justify why we consume alcohol and smoke pot. We use creative terms and moral imperatives as blankets to hide what we are unwilling to admit in the open: we just want to get high.
At this point I need to state the fact that none of this applies to medical cannabis consumption. When a person with a legitimate medical condition applies for a medical cannabis card, that person is seeking relief from the symptoms of their condition. It is no different than taking an OTC pain medication or a prescription drug to help ease cancer symptoms.
The operators of the Utahmarijuana.org website point out that pain management is the number one reason for using medical cannabis. This reality is as true nationwide as it is in the state of Utah. And for the record, I would prefer chronic pain patients use medical cannabis than prescription opioids.
Recreational Use Is Another Matter
I see medical and recreational marijuana use as two separate things. Medical uses are completely legitimate from a health standpoint. Recreational consumption is another matter altogether.
I am not saying we should go back to the days when marijuana was completely illegal and enforced as such. I’m simply saying that new data showing a preference for cannabis over alcohol reveals something about us that we are not willing to admit. Let us just get over it and lay our cards on the table. After all, isn’t honesty the best policy?