Beer sales across the globe are declining, and there’s one primary culprit to blame: marijuana. According to Bar Rescue host, Jon Taffer, “Beer sales are way down right now. They’re in the toilet. And craft beer is down, premium beer is down. And we blame a lot of it on cannabis.”
That’s largely because users of cannabis — eight states, and Washington D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana, and 29 have legalized medicinal usage — stay at home, sit on their couches and opt to not go to bars, Taffer said.
“Craft beer has lost its luster,” he said. “The small boutique breweries have lost their luster. And the beer category is in big trouble.”
According to a report from Business Insider, millennials and members of Generation Z are responsible for dragging down beer sales. A report from Berenberg Research found that members of Generation Z preferred drinks like wine, vodka and gin to beer.
The solution? According to Taffer, it could be marijuana-licensed bars. Perhaps this would permit patrons to smoke or ingest marijuana in places that also have obtained liquor licenses.
“I would welcome it,” he said. “Because it’s eroding my industry. So either I have to accept the erosion, or participate in that erosion. That’s my choice. I have to move with the marketplace.”
