Today’s Wall Street Journal reports what we reported Dec. 16 – that wine in joining beer in losing to spirits. But the Journal goes a step further, including a look at the nonalcohol market, which it credits with a drop in wine consumption.
It notes that Americans are drinking less alcohol “amid rising concerns about health and competition from other beverages such as ready-to-drink tea, sparkling water and coffee.
The Journal’s online report includes an interesting video about a nonalcohol bar in lower Manhattan and several nonalcohol products that are said to taste like alcohol.
We bev/al producers, distributors and retailers would be better served developing and selling nonalcohol products than chasing cannabis. First, one-third of the U.S. population doesn’t drink. Developing an adult-tasting beverage for them represents a huge market opportunity. Second, while anti-alcohol advocates have been promoting the idea that even a single drink is bad for you, there are a number of studies showing use of cannabis has adverse health effects.
Because many of the same mutagens and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke are found in marijuana smoke as well, “marijuana smoking has been shown to decrease pulmonary function, produce chronic cough, airway inflammation and abnormal cell growth that may precede the onset of cancer.”
Other studies have found an increase in mortality of HIV-positive cannabis users, increased heart rate, liver fibrosis and mental health problems at a rate twice that suffered by nonuser.
We recognize that there have been some popular-press articles asserting zero traffic deaths from marijuana use. We don’t think that’s the issue. We think the issue is one of health. People who are drinking less appear to be doing so out of concern for health. There are plenty of studies suggesting marijuana use is associated with unhealthy outcomes.
Why a bev/al producer or distributor would choose to distribute cannabis-based products when there is a huge market for nonalcohol adult beverages – 30% of the population is nondrinkers and there are occasions where drinkers haven’t a desire to drink — is something we don’t understand.