Adding Marijuana to Your St. Patrick's Day

Green rivers, big parades and lots of drinks – St. Patrick's Day definitely has strong traditions. There is a huge festival atmosphere. It's also the best beer-drinking holiday at a bar in the United States. This means more people drink beer in bars (and not at home) than any other day of the year. But as cannabis becomes legal and people start consuming more and drinking less, how about adding marijuana to your St. Patrick's Day? BDSA, a leading analytics firm covering the cannabis industry, has just released numbers and data showing that the cannabis industry earned $29.5 billion in 2023. That's a lot of green and a lot of consumers!

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Green beer is a staple during the holidays. There is no trick to making the iconic drink. It's a light beer with a drop of green food coloring. No change in taste, just the color. It's so popular that University of Miami students created a new Green Beer Day tradition when a scheduling change moved St. Patrick's Day to the middle of spring break… when students are off campus.

Photos: Maria Badasian via Unsplash; BENCE BOROS on Unsplash

Marijuana is also becoming a recreational and medical staple. In California, sobriety is now a statewide issue and beer sales have been hurt by the rise of marijuana. You might want to put down that high-calorie pint and grab a green gummy bear, a green apple steamer, or just an old-fashioned flower. If you're out in a crowd for a parade or bar crawl, gummy bears or e-cigarettes are the most discreet and “public” friendliest.

When mixing weed and alcohol, there are a few things to keep in mind. Moderate your consumption and ensure you are vigilant. Consuming weed before drinking alcohol can minimize the effects of alcohol. Don't be tempted to take shots or build cauldrons. Both weed and alcohol are depressant drugs. Their effect suppresses, impairs and inhibits the functionality of the brain. When alcohol and weed are mixed together, the effects of each substance are exaggerated. This can cause a person to lose control of their actions.

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And the Chicago Green River thing? It dates back to 1962, when Mayor Richard J. Daley wanted to turn Lake Michigan green in honor of the holiday. He was persuaded to dye the more manageable Chicago River instead. The Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union has been there ever since, hiring the same green paint plumbers used to search for sewer leaks.