US Poll Results Favour Weed Over Booze
When surveyed in the YouGov survey, 27% of participants agreed that it'd be better if people used cannabis in place of alcohol. In comparison, only 20% thought it would be worse to swap. 38% of those surveyed (the majority) were indifferent, and the remaining 15% were unsure.
Twenty-seven per cent of participants agreed that it'd be better if people used cannabis in place of alcohol
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This is exciting data for the ongoing debate about the health implications of both alcohol and cannabis consumption. Cannabis advocates have long suggested that alcohol is undeniably associated with long-term health issues. These include alcoholism, liver disease, and alcohol poisoning, which can and has killed people.
On the other hand, and by the federal government's admission, there are no recorded deaths attributed solely to a cannabis overdose. Unlike alcohol, the plants' natural compounds have also been found to be medically beneficial in the case of various health conditions.
A demographic analysis of the the poll, featuring interviews with 10,412 Americans was carried out. It will probably come as no surprise that those considered liberal Democrats were more likely to support a switch to cannabis from alcohol (34%). This was in comparison to only 18% of conservative republicans and 27% of independents.
34% of those in the age group 30-44  championed the idea of cannabis substitution, whereas only 17%  of those aged 65 and older said the same. Nonetheless it seems that states, where cannabis is legalized for adult use are seeing a more robust trend toward cannabis, rsather than alcohol sales over time. This is despite what public opinion may tell us.
For example, data released last month by the state of Massachusetts showed that they are now in a position where they are collecting more tax revenue from cannabis than alcohol. They are not alone either, the state of Illinois also witnessed weed taxes exceeding booze taxes for the first time in 2021. The state collected about $100 million more from the sale of adult-use cannabis than it did Alcohol. In other encouraging news a 2019 report discovered that the number of drunk-driving incidents in Idaho had decreased following the legalisation of cannabis in neighbouring Washington State.
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Liz Filmer
