type: source title: “Research: Are consumers substituting alcohol with cannabis beverages at a higher rate than they are substituting with 0.0% beers or functional mocktails?” created: 2026-05-01 updated: 2026-05-01 tags: [research, cannabis, substitution, nolo, consumer-behavior] related: [cannabis-beverages, behavioral-intent-vs-format-accessibility, functional-premiumization, damp-drinking, share-of-occasion, nolo-unit-economics, how-do-cannabis-beverages-compete-with-adult-soft-drinks] sources: [“research-are-consumers-substituting-alcohol-with-cannabis-b-2026-05-01.md”] authors: [] year: 2026 url: "" venue: “deep-research”
Research: Are consumers substituting alcohol with cannabis beverages at a higher rate than they are substituting with 0.0% beers or functional mocktails?
Summary
This research document investigates the substitution dynamics between traditional alcohol, cannabis-beverages, and zero-alcohol alternatives (like 0.0% beer and functional mocktails). It highlights a historic shift where daily marijuana users in the U.S. (17.7 million) have surpassed daily alcohol users (14.7 million). The findings reveal a dichotomy defined as behavioral-intent-vs-format-accessibility: while consumers show a stronger physiological intent to substitute alcohol with cannabis (often halving their alcohol intake), 0.0% beverages currently win on scale and household penetration due to global legal accessibility.
Key Findings
- Cannabis as a Primary Substitute: Over half of marijuana consumers consume less or no alcohol after using cannabis. Millennials and Gen Z are driving this, with ~37-38% planning to try cannabis beverages for relaxation without hangovers.
- Growth of Zero-Alcohol: Non-alcoholic beer purchases grew 22% and NA wine 41% (Dec 2023-Nov 2024). Brands are leveraging functional-premiumization (adding adaptogens/nootropics) to justify higher prices.
- The Price Paradox: While 40% of consumers are willing to pay more for functional benefits, 52% feel non-alcoholic versions of traditional drinks are not worth their premium price tag, highlighting a gap in consumer understanding of nolo-unit-economics.
- Regulatory Skew: The true organic demand for cannabis beverages is masked by fragmented legality (restricted to 24 U.S. states), artificially inflating the comparative market dominance of globally available 0.0% beers.
Strategic Implications for Asahi
The battle for share-of-occasion is no longer just against other alcohol brands or even 0.0% beers; it is increasingly against THC/CBD alternatives. Asahi must navigate the consumer resistance to premium pricing in the NA category while monitoring the cannibalization threat posed by cannabis in legally permissive markets.