Over the past couple of years, Marijuana has been legalised in numerous states across the US. Those states that have legalised marijuana include California, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Colorado. The burgeoning market has lead the media to compare the legal marijuana boom to the dot-com boom of the early 00's.
Beer industry growth
The legalisation of marijuana in certain states has not translated into a decrease in beer sales, according to new Research. The study found that Americans are managing to accommodate both beer and weed in their social life.
Researchers from the Bernstein Institute said that fears the beer industry would be hit by the legalisation of weed have been proved unfounded.
A spokesperson from Bernstein Institution said: "At first, we expected that marijuana and alcohol would be rivals, with the logic being that every penny spent on weed is a penny less spent on beer". However, that turned out not to be the case. In states where marijuana is legal, beer consumption rose by 0.6 percent".
The spokesperson for Bernstein Institution admitted that the sample size was small but continued to suggest that "the analysis suggests the legalisation of marijuana has had a positive influence on the sale of beer. Our findings suggest that beer and weed are compliments rather than substitutes".
"A potential explanation for the rise in beer sales is that marijuana has rapidly decreased in price since its legalisation in some states. In 2014, for example, a gram of marijuana cost on average $25 in Washington. Now, a gram of marijuana in Washington costs $10 on average".
A cultural crossover
The research paper provides anecdotal evidence that marijuana and beer culture has overlapped, with some of those interviewed pointing to craft beer brand Oskar Blues, which prints instructions on how to recycle cans into a bong, as evidence of the cultural crossover.
Furthermore, the paper showed that businesses such as Domino's Pizza, Chipolte and Frito Lay have experienced a growth in sales since weed became legalised. Despite the economic and medical benefits of marijuana being established, the U.K. government has recently dismissed an independent report into the benefits of legalisation.
