Study: People Prefer Legal Weed Over Alcohol

[DamianTV]

https://hightimes.com/news/study-peo...-weed-alcohol/

(Naa... no bias there...)

With an influx of legal cannabis—both medical and recreational, readily available amongst 29 states around the country—alcohol sales have taken a noticeable drop, according to a recent study.

A Changing of the Guard: People Prefer Legal Weed Over Alcohol

The report, which sought to identify the link between medical marijuana laws and alcohol consumption, studied retail sales data for beer and wine in states that recently legalized medical marijuana. The findings concluded that two years after medical marijuana had become available, retail sales in grocery, convenience, drug or mass distribution stores had fallen 13 percent. Researchers did not factor in liquor sales, however, due to the poor quality of data.

While there have been other studies that have attempted to decipher this information strictly on people’s own estimates of their alcohol consumption, this recent report strictly looked at hard retail data. Georgia State University economics professor Alberto Chong explained how that the old method is too unreliable to make a definitive conclusion.

“[Previous] studies tried to answer the question using subjective surveys,” Chong said. “We use actual data about sales, which is much better. That’s hard data—we know the exact number of sales per store.”

The research determined that it took a full two years of legal marijuana for the aforementioned 13 percent decrease in sales. However, the study dually noted an immediate nine percent decrease upon the inception of medicinal cannabis in certain states.

...

Full article on link. Reference links on source page HIGHlighted... (yes, pun...)

[mrsat_98]

Since when did what the people prefer make a $hit ?

[euphemia]

Unfortunately, when the government legalizes something, it’s just a permission slip for them to tax.

[Zippyjuan]

From another cannabis site: (this discusses beer but the High Times article also ignored hard liquor)

Researchers did not factor in liquor sales, however, due to the poor quality of data.

https://www.leafly.com/news/politics...urt-beer-sales

POLITICS
Data Dive: Does Legalization Hurt Beer Sales?

<snip>

We dug into beer sales and state alcohol tax figures in Colorado and Washington, the states with the longest record of adult-use cannabis sales. (Alcohol tax rates have remained the same over that period, so alcohol tax revenue is a good indicator of sales trends.) The result? Alcohol sales tax revenue has grown steadily over the past several years, before and after cannabis became legal for adult use. Here’s what it looks like in a single image:



In Washington State, tax revenue from beer, wine, and hard alcohol sales has increased steadily over the past three years. Beer tax revenue went from $29.9 million in 2014, to $30.7 million in 2015, and has increased to $31.4 million so far in 2016.

In Colorado, alcohol sales tax revenue has grown steadily since 2011. In the two years prior to cannabis legalization, tax revenue increased at a steady rate, from $38.9 million to $40.1 million. Then, in 2014, the state’s total net tax receipts for all forms of alcohol grew to $40.9 million. In 2015, net alcohol revenue increased to $41.8 million.

In Oregon, the data is limited. But it, too, shows a steady gain in beer production and sales. Adult-use cannabis went on sale in Oregon in October 2015. During June 2015, Oregon brewers produced and sold 54,272 barrels of beer. Nearly one year later, in June 2016, the number of barrels sold increased to 62,800. That’s market growth of 15 percent. Most industries would call that a banner year.

So alcohol sales—and specifically beer sales—have continued to steadily increase in states that have legalized the adult use of cannabis.

In fact, that increase in alcohol sales in adult-use states bucks the national trend for alcohol, with sales flat to slightly down. According to tax revenue data from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, alcohol sales brought in $10.1 billion in tax revenue nationwide in 2012. That figure dipped to $10.0 billion in 2013, rose to $10.4 billion in 2014, and held steady in 2015.

[dannno]

From another cannabis site: (this discusses beer but the High Times article also ignored hard liquor)



https://www.leafly.com/news/politics...urt-beer-sales

Well, zippy, can you put two and two together from the article? And maybe draw on recent trends in beer sales?

Retail sales of beer have fallen by 13%, but tax revenue on beer has had some slight gains.

Maybe that means people are buying $6 or $8 pints of craft brew at their local brew pub or buying an $8 craft brew 6 pack or a $4 large bottle instead of $.50/Coors Lights 18 pack and paying WAAY more in sales tax for a single alcoholic beverage.

So alcohol consumption has likely dropped quite dramatically, but the sales tax revenue has increased because people are buying much higher quality products.