4,516 people logged what they drank for three weeks. On the days they had a THC beverage, their odds of also drinking alcohol fell by roughly half. The finding held for 23 of the 36 products tested, and moved the same direction in every one.

The largest real-world study of hemp THC beverages has published its numbers, and the clearest thing in it has nothing to do with sleep, pain or productivity.

It’s beer.

MoreBetter, a Philadelphia research firm that has run observational studies on consumer products since 2016, tracked 4,516 people across 36 products from 23 brands, at doses between 1 and 10 milligrams of THC. Each participant logged seven days before touching any product, fourteen days on it, then answered an exit survey. Every person served as their own control, measured against their own pre-use baseline. The fieldwork ran in two waves across 2025, so the results are new rather than the research. The company published the full dataset free on its Real-World Data Exchange platform and prepared a findings summary exclusively for High Times, breaking out the numbers behind each measure.

On a participant’s ordinary day, before any of this started, the modeled probability that they would drink alcohol was 22.9%. On days they drank one of these beverages, it was 10.9%.

Two Measurements, One Direction

What gives that number weight is that it doesn’t come from asking anybody about it. It comes from what people logged, day by day, about what they actually drank, run through a model that compares each person to themselves.

The exit survey asked the question directly, and the answers point the same way. Two-thirds said they were consuming less alcohol. Fifty-six percent called the drinks a regular replacement for it. Those are people describing themselves, which is a weaker kind of evidence, but they line up with the behavioral measure instead of contradicting it.

The tightest number in that group is the health one. An 86.6% average with a floor of 80% across every single product means the belief holds no matter which drink somebody picked up. Worth being precise about what that measures: it’s what people think, not what is true. Nothing in this study tested whether these products are safer than alcohol.

The eleven-point gap between the health answer and the social one is the more interesting detail. People are more confident about what these drinks do to their body than about how showing up with one plays in a room.

Fifty Days Later

The obvious question about a two-week study is whether anything survives it. MoreBetter went back and asked.

Fifty days after the study period ended, the company surveyed participants from 18 of the 36 products about how their relationship with alcohol had changed. It got 1,420 responses. Setting aside the 249 who weren’t drinking alcohol before any of this began leaves 1,171 people who were. Those results are not on the public dashboard; MoreBetter provided them to High Times on the record.

Two things to hold onto there. A third of respondents reported no change at all, which is the honest headline alongside the 63%. And this is people recalling their own drinking seven weeks later, on a narrower base than the main dataset, which makes it softer evidence than the daily logs. It points the same direction anyway, and the gap between 63% and 2.4% is not a close call.

MoreBetter also says a portion of the original group has continued into a second and now a third cohort, the third of which is currently open, spanning 12 to 18 months between the first and the present one. The point is to see whether consumption patterns and substitution behavior hold up over that kind of stretch. Those results don’t exist yet.

What It Actually Feels Like

The experience these numbers describe is mild and short, which is the whole design premise of the category and now has some evidence under it.

Duration is the most consistent thing in the entire dataset. Thirty-six products, 23 brands, doses spanning a factor of ten, and every one of them landed between two and 2.9 hours. The standard deviation is 0.2 hours. Whatever else varies in this category, how long it lasts does not.

Feeling high is the opposite. It swings from 18.8% of use days to 81.5%, which is what a 1 to 10 milligram spread would predict, and it means the 53.3% average describes almost nobody’s actual product. Half the people buying in this category are not particularly trying to get high, and the products know it.

The onset figure needs an asterisk. Participants picked from bands rather than clocking themselves, so 26.9 minutes is a center of mass, not a stopwatch reading.

And the hangover number, which the industry will want to run with, is a share of use days rather than a share of people. There was no alcohol comparison group in this study, so it cannot be read as better or worse than a hangover from drinking. MoreBetter says so itself, in writing, which is not something most industry-funded research bothers to do.

The Productivity Number, Handled Carefully

Participants reported roughly 36 more minutes of productive time on product days than on their own non-product days, a jump from 5.64 hours to 6.24. That reached significance for 20 of the 36 products, and every significant result was positive.

The companion measure is messier and deserves the scrutiny. The probability of reporting a productive day rose 12.5 points on average, but that only held for 13 of 36 products, and one product moved 15 points in the other direction. The accurate version is that for about a third of the products tested, people were more likely to report a good day, and for one of them the reverse was true.

Both are estimates people made about their own hours, not measured output.

How to Read Any of This

This is observational, not a clinical trial. There is no placebo arm and no separate comparison group; the comparison is each participant against their own pre-use baseline, which is a real method with real limits. People chose to enroll and chose their product through what MoreBetter calls a semi-blinded process. Almost everything here is self-reported, including the alcohol logs behind the headline finding. This describes what a large group of people reported while drinking these products. It does not establish that the products caused any of it.

One caveat matters more than the rest, and it comes from MoreBetter rather than from us. When a finding is significant for 23 of 36 products, the headline average covers only those 23. Products that showed no significant change are left out of the average, not counted as zero. Quote the twelve-point drop without the coverage number and you have overstated it. That warning is printed in the company’s own summary, in bold.

Who Paid For It

MoreBetter says it funded the Infused Beverage Study primarily itself, with partial funding from the beverage brands whose products were tested, and that those brands had no influence over protocol design, data analysis or published findings.

Twenty-three brands participated: BRĒZ, Cantrip, Nowadays, Uncle Arnie’s, Willie’s Remedy+, Woodstock, Medterra, Rebel Rabbit, Snoop Dogg’s Iconic Tonics, Herbal Oasis, Cornbread Hemp, Stiiizy, 1906, Sober(ish), Wims!, Hippie Water, Squared, Hightail, Kava Haven, 23rd State, Drippy, Good Feels and Rexis Biotech.

None of that makes the data bad, and the company reports 17 peer-reviewed publications across 12 university research partnerships behind it. It does mean some of the companies that helped pay for the study sell the products the study is being used to defend, and anyone citing these numbers in a policy fight should say so. Nothing is broken out by brand, so no figure here belongs to any individual participant.

The Products in This Study Are About to Stop Being Legal

Section 781 of Public Law 119-37 caps finished hemp products at 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, applied to the whole package rather than a serving. It takes effect November 12.

The products in this study run from 1 to 10 milligrams per serving. The weakest one carries more than twice the legal ceiling for an entire container.

None of the 36 would survive it.

That date is still moving. The Senate has passed a stopgap that would push most of the new restrictions to December 11, and the House hasn’t taken it up. Until it does, November 12 is the law. We’ve been tracking the whole fight here.

Some brands have already made their bet. Cann pulled the THC out of part of its lineup, while B-Real and Rachel Wolfson launched into the same market with full-dose product. One side is reformulating for the rule on the books. The other is betting Congress changes it first. NielsenIQ data cited by MoreBetter puts the category at $239 million in tracked retail sales over the 52 weeks ending June 27, up 135% year over year, which is what the 0.4 milligram number is aimed at and why the fight has pulled in everyone from trade groups to Rosario Dawson.

Every figure in this article, and the several dozen measures that didn’t make it in, are free at rwdexchange.com/community. Verify a phone number or email, enter the code, then open Community Insights and the Infused Beverage Performance Data dashboard. No cost, no trial period, no card. Everything is filterable by seltzer, soda, sparkling beverage, functional tonic, and spirits, shots and mixers, and MoreBetter asks that anyone using the figures credit the source.

The data arrived after the vote.

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Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is suggesting that his Republican opponent for the seat supports banning cannabis in order to aid his political donors in the alcohol and tobacco industries.

“People are outraged across the state, and it’s not any one political party,” Talarico said of recently enacted state restrictions on hemp products in an interview with KTSM-TV. “It’s people across the spectrum.”

The comments come as Texas regulators are moving to ban certain hemp-derived THC cannabis products, including those containing delta-8 and delta-10 THC. Now classified as Schedule I drugs under state law, possession is treated as a felony, carrying a punishment of 180 days to two years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.

“Instead of getting it now from a local small business, Texans are now going to get it off the black market,” the Democrat, who currently serves as a state representative, said. “So this ban is a gift to the drug cartels.”

Beyond aiding cartels, though, Talarico also believes making hemp products illegal while continuing to ban marijuana is a fiscal benefit for tobacco and alcohol companies—and he’s alleging that state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), his opponent for the U.S. Senate seat, supports cannabis prohibition in order to benefit his campaign contributors in those industries.

“It doesn’t make any sense until you follow the money and realize that it is big beer and big tobacco that are funding the politicians, like Ken Paxton, who turned around and banned these safe THC products in order to enrich the big beer and a big tobacco lobby,” Talarico said.

Paxton did not reply to KTSM’s request for comment, the outlet reported.

This isn’t the first time that Talarico has voiced support for cannabis reform or argued that prohibition of the plant benefits alcohol and tobacco companies.

In an interview with The Breakfast Club last week, the Democratic candidate said that keeping marijuana illegal while also moving to restrict hemp THC products is an “insane” form of “corruption.”

“Think about what industries are most worried about THC products being readily available: Big Beer, Big Tobacco, right? And so they were the ones pushing this THC ban because it hurts their bottom line,” he said. “And a lot of research shows that THC—cannabis—these products are safer and less addictive than than beer or tobacco.”

“And so to me, this is a prime example of what corruption looks like when you’ve got big industries buying politicians and pushing bills that harm people, but benefit them financially,” Talarico said.

The Senate candidate also noted that “a lot of young Texans, a lot of our veterans, they use THC products, for PTSD. Seniors use it.”

The recently adopted Texas hemp product restrictions are being challenged with a federal lawsuit filed by hemp companies.

A judge this week declined their request to impose a temporary restraining order on the THC crackdown while the overall litigation is considered.

Paxton, for his part, filed lawsuits to block several Texas cities from implementing local voter-approved laws to decriminalize marijuana in his capacity as state attorney general.

Meanwhile, voters in Houston will decide on an initiative to make misdemeanor marijuana possession the “lowest possible enforcement priority” for local police on the November ballot.

Image elements courtesy of Antonioaesparza and Gage Skidmore.

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U.S. Representatives Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Greg Landsman (D-OH) introduced the Beverage Regulatory Parity Act on Monday, which would create a federal framework for the responsible sale of intoxicating hemp beverages.

The proposal includes a three-tiered distribution system covering product labeling, advertising, and trade-practice rules modeled after alcohol regulations. The bill would also set the minimum age for purchasing or consuming hemp products at 21 and create product testing requirements for the industry. There would also be a federal excise tax of 8 cents per milligram of intoxicating THC in each beverage.

The sale of hemp-derived THC is currently set to be prohibited under federal law starting this December.

“I’ve heard directly from people across North Texas who consume hemp-derived beverages, and businesses who sell them, that they need clarity, not a ban that pushes this market underground,” Rep. Van Duyne said in a statement.

“The Beverage Regulatory Parity Act brings long-overdue certainty to the industry by regulating these beverages with the same proven structure that has successfully governed alcohol for decades. I am glad to introduce this bipartisan legislation alongside Rep. Greg Landsman, because American families and responsible businesses deserve structure and sensible regulations that protect children while allowing adults to choose beverages they prefer.” — Van Duyne, in a press release

“There are people all over Southwest Ohio who have invested significantly in these products, and they’ve done so safely,” said Rep. Landsman. “Now the federal government is telling them they can’t sell these products anymore. Our bill is bipartisan and very straightforward. It will keep people safe and let these folks stay in business.”

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Several major alcohol industry participants are backing a new bill in Congress that would exempt hemp beverages from a currently scheduled ban on THC products derived from the plant while enacting new provisions to tax and regulate the cannabis drinks like alcohol.

“Appropriately dosed hemp-derived beverages belong in a regulated adult beverage marketplace, not in a legal gray area,” Dawson Hobbs, executive vice president of government affairs for Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), said in a press release supporting the new Beverage Regulatory Parity Act, introduced on Monday by Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Greg Landsman (D-OH).

“We thank Congresswoman Van Duyne and Congressman Landsman for their leadership advancing a framework that treats these products differently from other hemp products and builds on the alcohol regulatory system’s long record of consumer protection,” he said.

“The conversation has evolved beyond whether hemp-derived beverages should be regulated to how they should be regulated,” Dobbs said. “This legislation moves that conversation forward by following the long record of success in regulating alcohol through a federal and state partnership.”

Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that will redefine hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container will remain legal after November 12.

The Senate over the weekend, however, approved a funding bill that includes a provision to delay the effective date of the hemp product ban until December 11, with the support of the White House. Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) had filed an amendment to strip that language and keep the prohibition on track as scheduled, but the body approved a motion to table the proposal in a vote of 61-32.

Hemp industry supporters believe the delay, if approved by the House and enacted into law, will give them more time to convince Congress to enact regulations for THC products as an alternative to prohibition.

Separately, the Beverage Alcohol Merchants Coalition (BAMCO)—a coalition of alcohol retailers—also endorsed the new hemp THC drinks bill.

“We applaud Representatives Van Duyne and Landsman for putting forward a regulatory framework for low-dose hemp beverages that aligns interests and addresses consumer demand,” Jonathan Grella, a spokesman for BAMCO, said in a press release.

“Their bill provides a path to a safe, regulated marketplace for low-dose hemp beverages while supporting Congress and the Administration in removing synthetic and inhalable products,” he said. “We look forward to working with Representatives Van Duyne and Landsman to build on the proven safeguards of the beverage alcohol system and get the regulation right.”

BAMCO’s members include Total Wine & More, BevMo! by Gopuff, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Spec’s Wine and Spirits & Finer Foods, as well as a group of hemp product wholesalers.

“This is exactly the kind of serious, bipartisan work needed to move the conversation from prohibition to responsible regulation,” Grella said. “Consumers deserve safe products, parents deserve strong protections for children, and responsible businesses deserve clear, enforceable rules. Our members are ready to be part of the solution.”

Under the new bill, adults over 21 could purchase and consume hemp THC beverages with up to 5 milligrams of total intoxicating THC per serving.

There would be a new federal tax on hemp drinks of 8 cents per milligram of intoxicating THC.

Hemp drinks would be regulated by the Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), with requirements for testing, packaging, labeling and serving and container sizes.

Legal beverages could only contain naturally-occurring cannabinoids that are cultivated and processed within the U.S.

Manufacturers, wholesales and sellers of hemp drinks would be required to obtain federal permits.

Companies could not sell multi-serving containers larger than 750 milliliters under the legislation.

The legislation further clarifies that states, Indian tribes and localities could set regulations that are “more stringent” than federal rules, but says that they could not prohibit the shipment or transportation of hemp beverages through their borders on the way to other jurisdictions.

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A bipartisan duo of lawmakers have filed a new bill in Congress that would exempt hemp beverages from a currently scheduled ban on THC products derived from the plant.

The legislation’s introductions comes days after the Senate voted to delay the planned recriminalization of hemp, which is intended to give lawmakers more time to craft regulations as an alternative to prohibition.

The Beverage Regulatory Parity Act, from Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Greg Landsman (D-OH), introduced on Monday, would establish a three-tier system for distribution of hemp drinks, similar to the model currently used for alcohol. It would allow adults over 21 to purchase and consume hemp THC beverages with up to 5 milligrams of total intoxicating THC per serving.

A draft version of the hemp drinks legislation obtained earlier this year by Marijuana Moment would have used a more permissive limit that measured delta-9 THC specifically.

Under the bill as introduced, there would be a new federal tax on hemp drinks of 8 cents per milligram of intoxicating THC—a reduction from the 10 cents contemplated in the earlier draft measure.

Hemp drinks would be regulated by the Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), with requirements for testing, packaging, labeling and serving and container sizes.

“I’ve heard directly from people across North Texas who consume hemp-derived beverages, and businesses who sell them, that they need clarity, not a ban that pushes this market underground,” Van Duyne said in a press release. “The Beverage Regulatory Parity Act brings long-overdue certainty to the industry by regulating these beverages with the same proven structure that has successfully governed alcohol for decades.”

“I am glad to introduce this bipartisan legislation alongside Rep. Greg Landsman, because American families and responsible businesses deserve structure and sensible regulations that protect children while allowing adults to choose beverages they prefer,” she said.

Landsman, for his part, said that “there are people all over Southwest Ohio who have invested significantly in these products, and they’ve done so safely.”

“Now the federal government is telling them they can’t sell these products anymore,” he said. “Our bill is bipartisan and very straightforward. It will keep people safe and let these folks stay in business.”

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Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

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Under the new bill, legal beverages could only contain naturally-occurring cannabinoids that are cultivated and processed within the U.S.

Manufactures, wholesales and sellers of hemp drinks would be required to obtain federal permits.

Companies could not sell multi-serving containers larger than 750 milliliters under the legislation.

The legislation further clarifies that states, Indian tribes and localities could set regulations that are “more stringent” than federal rules, but says that they could not prohibit the shipment or transportation of hemp beverages through their borders on the way to other jurisdictions.

Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that will redefine hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container will remain legal after November 12.

The Senate over the weekend, however, approved a funding bill that includes a provision to delay the effective date of the ban until December 11. Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) had filed an amendment to strip that language and keep the prohibition on track as scheduled, but the body approved a motion to table the proposal from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in a vote of 61-32.

The House of Representatives, which previously passed a separate funding bill that does not include language to extend the hemp ban’s effective date, is scheduled to return from its recess on August 31.

The new hemp drinks bill is being supported by some members of the alcohol industry.

“For nearly a century, the alcohol regulatory system has kept consumers safe while giving legitimate businesses clear rules to operate under. Rep. Van Duyne’s bill extends that same proven framework to hemp-derived beverages,” Dawson Hobbs, executive vice president of government affairs forWine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), said. “WSWA is proud to support this legislation and thanks the congresswoman for her leadership in addressing products that have grown in popularity and are already on store shelves. We urge Congress to act before the November 12 deadline eliminates responsible options from the marketplace entirely.”

Total Wine & More said the bill “brings low-dose hemp-infused beverages into the same three-tier system that has safely regulated beer, wine and spirits for decades.”

“This framework, with licensed manufacturers, distributors and retailers, along with age verification, testing and labeling standards, is a smart way to protect consumers while giving responsible businesses certainty,” the company said.

John Bodnovich, executive director of American Beverage Licensees, said the legislation is a “thoughtful and serious approach to regulating hemp beverages in the United States.”

“Licensed beverage retailers have been consistent in calling for a safe, well-regulated, and accountable marketplace for hemp beverages, just as they have supported the effective system of state-based alcohol regulation that promotes public safety and responsibility while meeting consumer needs,” he said.

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A coalition of alcohol retailers are cheering Senate leaders’ inclusion of provisions in a key funding bill to delay the planned federal recriminalization of hemp THC products—saying it provides industry supporters with more time to convince Congress to “establish a responsible federal framework for low-dose hemp-derived THC beverages.”

“We commend the Senate, the White House and congressional leadership for their commitment to finding a consumer-focused solution,” Jonathan Grella, a spokesperson for the Beverage Alcohol Merchants Coalition (BAMCO), said in a press relase. “The Senate continuing resolution creates an important opportunity to achieve meaningful hemp regulation.”

“While significant work remains, BAMCO is committed to working with policymakers to establish smart, safe regulation for low-dose hemp beverages that protects consumers and provides long-term regulatory certainty,” he said.

BAMCO’s members include Total Wine & More, BevMo! by Gopuff, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Spec’s Wine and Spirits & Finer Foods, as well as a group of hemp product wholesalers.

Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that will redefine hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container will remain legal after November 12.

On Sunday, leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee released the text of a continuing resolution to extend funding for federal agencies through December 11, past the end of the current fiscal year on September 30.

Included in the legislation are provisions that will also delay the planned prohibition on most hemp products until December 11—although there is a carve-out that will allow the immediately recriminalization on November 12 of synthetic cannabinoids “that are not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant.”

BAMCO supports incorporating hemp THC drinks into the existing three-tier system for alcoholic beverages, along with new requirements for testing, labeling, marketing and taxation in tandem with flexibility for state regulations.

“For too long, policymakers have been faced with a false choice between an unregulated marketplace and prohibition,” the group said on Monday following the release of the Senate proposal. “BAMCO has consistently advocated for a smarter path—one that protects consumers, preserves adult access to compliant low-dose hemp beverages, and provides states and responsible businesses with a clear, durable regulatory framework.”

Grella, the group’s spokesperson, said that “responsible retailers have earned the public’s trust by safely selling age-restricted products for generations.”

“Low-dose hemp beverages belong in that proven system, where consumers can have confidence that products are sold responsibly under clear and enforceable rules.,” he said.

Other alcohol industry groups such as Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America have also backed regulating hemp products instead of prohibiting them.

Last month, the House of Representatives passed its own version of a continuing resolution to keep federal agencies funded into December, but it did not have any provisions to alter the planned hemp product ban. As such, if the Senate passes its new provision it would then still need approval by the other chamber before being sent to the president.

Meanwhile, a number of lawmakers from both chambers and both parties have filed or are circulating a growing number of bills to prevent the scheduled federal recriminalization of hemp THC drinks and other products later this year. Until now, none of those proposals have gained traction with congressional leaders.

For example, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is circulating legislation that would delay a planned federal ban on hemp THC products and institute some regulations—including packaging requirements, testing rules and age limits.

Separately, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), filed a lengthier proposal to prevent the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products and put in place a number of regulations for manufacturing, labeling, sales and taxation of hemp-derived products, including an age limit of 21.

A press release from the congressman’s office claimed that the White House supports the legislation, which is cosponsored by Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), but the administration has not specifically endorsed it despite generally calling for hemp regulations and backing a prior similar amendment filed by Barr.

Trump and White House officials have in recent weeks repeatedly pressed Congress to delay, alter or reverse the ban.

In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) last month, for example, White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought said the Trump administration wants lawmakers to “ensure the fair treatment of hemp products”—specifically citing Barr’s earlier amendment to keep many hemp products legal while adding regulations and taxes.

The administration “welcomes the opportunity to work with the Congress to, at a minimum, update the statutory definition of final hemp-derived cannabinoid products to allow Americans to benefit from access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products,” OMB separately said last month, “while preserving the Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose serious health risks.”

Also in April, the president himself urged congressional lawmakers to again redefine hemp to avoid recriminalization of full-spectrum CBD products.

“I am calling on Congress to update the Law to ensure that Americans can continue to access the full-spectrum CBD products they have come to rely on, and that help them, while preserving Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose Health risks,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

“We must get this done RIGHT and FAST, especially for those who saw that CBD helps them,” he said. “Plus, I am told it will also help our GREAT FARMERS, who we love, and will always be there for.”

Industry advocates say that the law as enacted last year not only threatens to prohibit intoxicating and synthetic cannabinoid products but also stands to remove popular full-spectrum CBD products that many Americans use therapeutically from the market.

“ONE in FIVE adults used it in the past year, and many say it improved their chronic pain enormously,” the president said in his social media post, adding that hemp-derived CBD “has made a HUGE difference for so many people.”

He also referenced a new initiative the administration launched in April to cover up to $500 worth of hemp-derived products each year for eligible Medicare patients. The program being implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) focuses largely on CBD but also allows products to have up to 3 milligrams of total THC per serving. A federal judge granted the government’s motion to dismiss marijuana legalization opponents’ lawsuit challenging the initiative, but that is being appealed.

“In December, I signed a very important Executive Order calling for Research and Innovation for Hemp-derived CBD,” Trump said. “Our wonderful Dr. Mehmet Oz moved fast to follow the directive in the Executive Order, and launched a model for some Seniors earlier this month. But more must be done!”

“Please get it done, and SOON,” the president said in reference to a congressional fix for the broad recriminalization set to take effect in November. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), an alcohol industry trade association issued praise for Barr’s bipartisan hemp regulation bill, but said the measure’s tax provisions require “continued discussion.”

Hemp policy observers expect to see a Senate companion bill to Barr’s proposal filed soon, likely from Sens. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

Sheehy recently cited hemp legislation as an area where Republicans and Democrats can work together in an otherwise “hyperpartisan time.”

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Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
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Meanwhile, a new poll from NuggMD found that most cannabis consumers say that state-level hemp product bans that lawmakers are enacting in line with the planned federal recriminalization move are causing them to shift their purchases toward licensed marijuana businesses.

The National Restaurant Association recently sent a letter urging congressional leaders to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC beverages and replace it with a regulatory framework that “ensures consumer safety while meeting growing market demand” for the products as an alternative to alcohol.

Major retailer Target, meanwhile, recently moved to expand its sales of hemp THC drinks into more states.

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For decades, cannabis use in the United States was portrayed as a marginal practice, confined to underground culture and considered far less common than alcohol or tobacco use. The federal government’s latest data, however, paint a very different picture. 

According to the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 21.4 million Americans aged 12 and older used cannabis on a daily or near-daily basis. As reported by Marijuana Moment, that category includes people who used it on at least 20 of the 30 days preceding the survey.

That figure is higher than the 17.2 million people who reported drinking alcohol with the same frequency. It is also higher than the 17.5 million who used nicotine vapes on a daily or near-daily basis.

The cigarette figures require a brief methodological clarification. The survey counted 19.9 million people who smoked cigarettes every day in the previous month, a stricter measure than the one used for cannabis and alcohol. Even so, the broader picture is hard to ignore: frequent cannabis use is now a prominent feature of substance use in the United States. 

But while cannabis use is rising among adults, another trend is moving in the opposite direction. 

Adult Use Is Rising as Teen Use Falls 

The same federal survey found that 8.7% of people aged 12 to 17 used cannabis in the past year. In 2011, before the first US states legalized cannabis for nonmedical adult use, that proportion was 14.2%. In other words, the percentage of young people who used cannabis fell by nearly 40% over that 14-year period.

The decline is also evident in past-month use. According to Marijuana Moment, between 2021 and 2025, the percentage of adolescents who reported past-month cannabis use fell from 6.1% to 5%. In absolute numbers, that represents a drop from approximately 1.6 million to 1.3 million young people.

The results contrast with one of the most frequently repeated arguments made by opponents of regulation: that allowing legal access for adults would immediately increase use among minors.

That does not mean legalization is, by itself, the cause of the decline. Surveys can identify population-level trends, but they cannot establish causation. Still, the findings do indicate that the expansion of regulated markets has not been accompanied by the “explosive growth in teen use” that many had predicted.

In fact, previous studies conducted in the United States and Canada have reached similar conclusions. Various surveys have found that youth use remained stable or declined as legal reforms took effect, including after the opening of licensed retail stores.

For advocates of regulation, the data support the idea that a system with age verification, licensing, and traceability measures may protect minors more effectively than an illicit market with no mandatory checks. The debate is far from settled, however, and includes questions about education, prevention, and access to reliable information.

Cannabis in the US: From the Margins to the Mainstream

Among the general population, the increase is much more pronounced. In 2025, 21.2% of people aged 12 and older said they had used cannabis during the previous year. That amounts to about 61.6 million Americans.

In 2021, the proportion was 19%. Past-month use also increased, rising from 13.2% of the population, or about 37 million people, to 15.1%, equivalent to 43.8 million.

Young adults remain the group with the highest prevalence of cannabis use. Among people aged 18 to 25, 33.7% reported using cannabis during the previous year. Among adults aged 26 and older, the figure was 20.6%.

The survey also examines how people consume cannabis. Smoking remains the most common method, reported by 74.8% of cannabis users. It is followed by edibles and beverages at 49.2%, vaping at 39.2%, and concentrates such as wax or shatter at 14.5%.

Taken together, the figures point to a cultural shift that can no longer be explained solely by changes in the law. Cannabis remains restricted at the federal level, despite regulatory changes and the expansion of state programs, but its presence in everyday life is becoming increasingly visible.

Perhaps the most striking finding is not simply that millions of people use cannabis frequently, but that this growth is occurring alongside a sustained decline in cannabis use among adolescents. In other words, rising adult use does not appear to be pulling younger generations along with it.

The picture presented by the survey is more complex than the traditional binary between prohibition and unrestricted access. More adults are using cannabis, fewer teenagers are doing so, and the cannabis market, whether legal or illicit, has already become part of everyday life in the United States. The debate is no longer about whether widespread cannabis use exists, but about acknowledging that reality and deciding how to regulate something that has long since ceased to be exceptional. 

Cover photo created with AI.

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Marijuana sales are increasing as purchases of alcohol are declining, according to a new federal report from the Canadian government.

Retailers in the country sold C$5.5 billion worth of legal recreational cannabis products in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, Statistics Canada reported, representing a 6.1 percent increase from the previous annual period.

Meanwhile, alcohol purchases were down 1.6 percent year over year, a dip that occurred despite a 1.6 increase in retail alcohol prices. The resulting decline in government revenue “was the largest annual decrease since Statistics Canada began tracking this series in 2004/2005,” the federal agency said.

While the C$25.8 billion worth of alcoholic beverages sold in the fiscal year still outpaces marijuana’s total, the two data points represent a trend where consumers are switching away from beer, wine and liquor toward cannabis, which is increasingly viewed as a safer alternative.

Even as marijuana sales in Canada increased in the last fiscal year, growth slowed, however, from the 11.6 percent increase in 2023-2024 and the 15.8 percent bump from 2022-2023. Still, the overall rise in cannabis purchase totals came even as prices dropped 1.1 percent over the last year.

Within the cannabis sector, inhaled extracts were the fastest growing product category in the most recent year, the government report, which was noted earlier by ICBC, said.

“The market share of inhaled extracts continued to increase in 2024/2025, up to almost one-third of total sales (31.1%),” it said. “Solid cannabis edibles (-2.2%) was the lone cannabis category with a sales decline in 2024/2025.”

Overall, cannabis sales during the fiscal year were equivalent to C$167 per person of legal age to consume marijuana.

A separate recent study funded by the Canadian government found that alcohol and tobacco cause far more harms to people who consume them, and to society overall, than marijuana does.

The findings about relative harms of different substances may help explain why alcohol consumption has been gradually declining over recent years, and why multiple surveys and studies have indicated that more adults are opting for marijuana.

For example, recent polling shows that younger Americans are increasingly using cannabis-infused beverages as a substitute for alcohol—with one in three millennials and Gen Z workers choosing THC drinks over booze for after-work activities like happy hours.

Another survey released last October found that a majority of Americans believe marijuana represents a “healthier option” than alcohol. And most also expect cannabis to be legal in all 50 states within the next five years.

Smoking marijuana is also associated with “significantly” reduced rates of alcohol consumption, according to a recent federally funded study that involved adults smoking joints in a makeshift bar.

A study published in 2024 that looked at adults who drink cannabis-infused beverages found more evidence of a “substitution effect,” with a significant majority of participants reporting reduced alcohol use after incorporating cannabinoid drinks into their routines.

Meanwhile, as the Trump administration considers moving marijuana out of Schedule I, the most restrictive category under U.S. federal law, another recent study concluded that cannabis isn’t as dangerous as its current classification would suggest.

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Alcohol and tobacco cause far more harms to people who consume them, and to society overall, than marijuana does, according to a new government-funded study.

A panel of 20 experts with professional experience with substance use issues from across Canada were asked to evaluate 16 different drugs on 10 dimensions of harm to consumers, as well as six dimensions of harm to others, scoring each on a scale of 0 to 100.

“Alcohol causes the most harm overall, with a cumulative weighted score of 79,” the study, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, found. “It was followed by tobacco (45), nonprescription opioids (33), cocaine (19), methamphetamine (19), and cannabis (15).”

The analysis, which was supported with Canadian Institutes for Health Research grant funds, concluded that marijuana’s biggest harm comes not from its effect on consumers but instead is related to the illegal market.

“Cannabis’s highest weighted score was for organized criminal activity,” the paper, authored by a large team of academics affiliated with various research institutions throughout Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, says. “Though more than 70 percent of Canadians who purchase cannabis now do so through legal sources, organized criminal groups are heavily involved in the remaining illegal cannabis market, from production to distribution.”

Marijuana—which was legalized nationally in Canada in 2018 but remains federally prohibited in the U.S.—is not completely without harms to consumers, however, with the study finding that it “also scored relatively high for mental harms to users (dependence, withdrawal, short- and long-term impairment of mental functioning), ranking third in that combined category.”

When it comes to alcohol, which is federally legal in the U.S., it “ranked first in 9 of the 16 harm categories: drug-related damage to physical health, withdrawal, short-term impairment of mental functioning, long-term impairment of mental functioning, loss of tangibles, loss of relationships, injury, family and social adversity, and economic cost,” the study found.

“This analysis of drug harms in Canada found that alcohol causes the most harm overall… Alcohol was followed by tobacco, nonprescription opioids (like fentanyl), cocaine, methamphetamine, and cannabis.”

Tobacco “ranked first in 4 of the 16 harm categories: drug-related mortality, drug-specific damage to physical health, dependence, and environmental damage,” the researchers wrote.

The paper concludes by urging governments to “consider the harm—both individual and societal—caused by drugs and by the laws and regulations that govern them” when developing drug policies.

The findings about relative harms of different substances may help explain why alcohol consumption—and particularly tobacco use—have been gradually declining over recent years, and why multiple surveys and studies have indicated that more adults are opting for marijuana.

For example, recent polling shows that younger Americans are increasingly using cannabis-infused beverages as a substitute for alcohol—with one in three millennials and Gen Z workers choosing THC drinks over booze for after-work activities like happy hours.

Another survey released last October found that a majority of Americans believe marijuana represents a “healthier option” than alcohol. And most also expect cannabis to be legal in all 50 states within the next five years.

Smoking marijuana is also associated with “significantly” reduced rates of alcohol consumption, according to a recent federally funded study that involved adults smoking joints in a makeshift bar.

A study published in 2024 that looked at adults who drink cannabis-infused beverages found more evidence of a “substitution effect,” with a significant majority of participants reporting reduced alcohol use after incorporating cannabinoid drinks into their routines.

In September, an international study identified a a “strong negative association” between tobacco use and legal medical marijuana sales, indicating a “strong potential substitution effect” where people choose to use cannabis where it is allowed instead of smoking cigarettes.

Meanwhile, as the Trump administration considers moving marijuana out of Schedule I, the most restrictive category under U.S. federal law, another recent study concluded that cannabis isn’t as dangerous as its current classification would suggest.

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