Almost 50% of cannabis users prefer weed over alcohol, and the number is rising, according to a new study

New research from New Frontier Data, the leader in cannabis data and analysis, has found that nearly half of cannabis users in the United States prefer alcohol to alcohol.

The results were published in their latest report, Cannabis & Wellness: A New Consumer Paradigm, which was co-created with Jointly and SoRSE to analyze various aspects of well-being among cannabis users today. They examined various wellness patterns in cannabis users, ranging from mental health to physical fitness to alcohol substitutes and medicine.

They found that 23% of marijuana users today support general wellbeing and 79% say the herb had a positive impact on their lives. Today there is a growing number of wellness-oriented cannabis activities across the country, from social lounges to cannabis yoga and much more, showing the increasing mainstream acceptance of cannabis.

“The US consumer base is diversifying, and reasons for using it extend well beyond recreational use to broader medical and wellness applications,” said Giadha A. DeCarcer, founder and chief executive officer of New Frontier Data. “Our continued focus on data and reporting on the full spectrum of cannabis user behavior, which is now expanding to more nuanced aspects of medical use in North America and Europe, will provide industry stakeholders with a 360-degree view of what cannabis users can do.”

There are other key findings in the study as well, such as stress relief and relaxation as the main reasons for cannabis use. Additionally, 52% of users are turning to cannabis to improve their mental health during the pandemic.

Today, more and more people are realizing the benefits of combining cannabis with exercise, which challenges previous stereotypes of unhealthy and lazy cannabis users. With that, 13% of consumers say they consume cannabis regularly before exercise, which improves their exercise.

Regarding alcohol, they found more and more people are replacing alcohol with cannabis, especially as the infused beverage market expands across the country. 47 percent of cannabis users have replaced at least some of their alcohol consumption with cannabis, which is a good time for manufacturers to make more infused beverages as more and more people see infused cannabis beverages as a good alternative to alcohol.

Cannabis as a safer alternative to alcohol

Marijuana prohibitionists and the federal government have wanted people to believe that cannabis is so harmful that it justifies being kept illegally no matter what. The risks have been greatly exaggerated: it has been claimed to be a gateway drug, it causes societal disease, and even went as far as spending millions of dollars on campaigns to keep cannabis illegal.

These couldn’t be further from the truth, especially when you look at the statistics:

• Alcohol abuse leads to death, while a single fatal cannabis overdose has never been recorded. A study conducted by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs analyzed 20 different drugs on a scale from 1 to 100, including substances such as alcohol, as well as methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. Alcohol was ranked number 1 in terms of total harm, with the highest score of 72.

It makes sense when you consider that alcohol is so readily available that it is far too easy for people to develop an addiction or disorder no matter how old you are. Almost every social situation involves alcohol; it is readily available, and high consumption is already expected in most of the world, whether developed or not.

Meanwhile, the American scientist has found that consuming alcohol ten times affects the human body so much that it can lead to death.

• Alcohol consumption leads to serious health problems that cannabis does not. Alcohol has significant long-term and short-term effects, and all of these have been well documented over the decades. Alcohol consumption already increases the risk of car accidents and injuries, increases the risk of risky sexual behavior, falls, alcohol intoxication and more – and only for a short period of time.

In the long run, alcohol addiction can cause liver damage, heart disease, an increased risk of cancer, psychological problems, memory problems and much more. All of this reduces life expectancy, so it’s not surprising that around 3 million people die from alcohol alone each year.

Now cannabis has become a panacea for dozens of life-threatening diseases. It can even help treat alcohol addiction in a safe and natural way.

• Alcohol is addicting, marijuana is not. Alcohol is so addictive and scientists have been able to pinpoint it with the help of research and standard indicators. “Millions of Americans have tried marijuana, but most are not regular users and few marijuana users become addicted to it. Although some marijuana users develop addiction, they are less likely than other drug users (including alcohol and nicotine), and marijuana addiction appears to be less severe than addiction to other drugs, ”a federal study said.

These are just a few of the many side effects associated with alcohol, which is a silent killer and causes deadly diseases in millions of people each year.

For these reasons and more, it is always the smarter choice to use cannabis instead of alcohol.

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