Wealthy Women Will Transition From Wine If Marijuana Is Legalized

The nation’s’biggest wine-drinking demographic, wealthy middle-aged women, say their cannabis use would increase if the federal government legalized marijuana. And we promise you if that happens ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ reality TV series will get even wackier!

Here’s the deal….

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer chose 4/20 to announce that he plans to introduce legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, adding a high-profile advocate in the effort to legalize and further normalize marijuana use in America.

Marijuana is currently legal in nine US states and Michigan looks likely to legalize cannabis after a ballot in November. And neighboring Canada is expected to legalize weed as early as this summer.

And while this might be great for all you closet pot smokers, it might also impact the drinks biz negatively according to some industry analysts.

We’ve written extensively about legalized pot’s possible impact on the beer industry…women’s wine consumption might also take a dive.

According Burkard Nesin, a beverage analyst with financial services provider Rabobank, US consumers could turn away from wine in a big way if marijuana is legalized on a federal level.

Citing a 2017 poll by Marist and Yahoo News, Nesin noted that 34% of women, 56% of baby boomers and 67% of those who earn over $50,000 said their marijuana consumption would increase if the US government legalized pot.

And while the poll showed that if pot is legalized almost every group expected their marijuana consumption to increase, the rise was especially significant among older and wealthier women, a core wine consuming demographic.

Writing for RaboResearch, Nesin positions his argument this way…

“It makes sense that older, wealthier consumers would see the largest bump in marijuana use after legalization. These individuals conceivably have the most to lose (like mortgages or high-paying jobs) if caught using/possessing illegal drugs.”

Marijuana could also have the edge for the health conscious consumer (again women lead men in this demo).

And unlike wine and even more so for beer marijuana is calorie-free (until you get the munchies) and 79% of US consumers believe it’s safer than alcohol, according to the Marist and Yahoo News poll.

Banner image credit: The Hemp Connoisseur