The world is seeing cannabis legalization all over. In the USA, 8 states have legalized recreational marijuana with 29 states allowing medical marijuana for its residents. Next year Canada will become the first large country in the world to have fully legalized recreational marijuana. A poll conducted in New Zealand by the New Zealand Drug Foundation revealed that 65% of voters are eager to see a reduction in cannabis restrictions. With the world going pro-marijuana, businesses and getting in on the action as quick as possible, and this has led to a number of trends that are taking off. There has been a huge increase in cannabis edibles, marijuana weddings, vaporizers, bongs, cannabis hotspots, cannabis cocktails and pretty much all things cannabis related as the cannabis craze takes hold.
Cannabis Cocktail Trend
One particular area which is experiencing rapid growth is the marijuana cocktail. This stands to reason, as along with marijuana alcohol is the drug of choice for global citizens. And mixing them together was always going to be a winner as well as resulting in an increased profit margin for businesses. In San Diego, a restaurant known as Madison has introduced a marijuana cocktail called “Mr Nice Guy”. Priced at $18 and is not exactly what one could consider cheap. It is made from a combination of pineapple, coconut milk, lime, matcha, mezcal and CBD oil.
CBD is the non-psychoactive part of cannabis oil and balances the more active and commonly known THC. CBD has a number of medical benefits without any of the side effects associated with THC, and as such CBD extracts are a very popular form of medical treatment, commonly used to treat epilepsy and seizure related conditions. CBD is effective for the treatment of inflammation, pain, memory, movement, sleep and energy, among other things. The whole social scene could actually be moving towards a health-conscious setting, as people consume things that are good for them instead of destructive to their bodies. But this is quite a long way away yet, and the marijuana industry is barely getting established. It will be interesting to see how marijuana and cocktails pans out and what the market will prefer.
The Weed and Wine Partnership
Mr Nice Guy type cocktailswill also become very popular among the health conscious as people possibly move away from alcohol towards weed. But this might not be the case and the two might go hand in hand, literally. There have been weed and wine symposiums in states such as Nevada and California highlighting how the two industries could flourish together. This is amid concerns from grape growers that cannabis legalization could see more land put to use towards cannabis instead of grapes, and more labor going towards the cannabis industry. There is also a fear that marijuana will turn people off alcohol altogether and they might switch to what is viewed as a much healthier alternative.
There is already a large variety of cannabis flavored liquors for sale, such as Humboldt’s Finest, a cannabis flavored vodka. It is important to note that some items are cannabis flavored, and others are cannabis infused. Cannabis infused is what most people are looking for, but these are not in widespread use in the USA right now, due to the newness of the industry and the surrounding legislation. It is only a matter of time before the drink industry catches up and there is going to be some sort of partnership between marijuana and alcohol industries. After all, lots of people like to do both, and we will soon see weed bars that sell alcohol and alcohol bars that sell weed. There will effectively be a merging between the two, as they are both essentially leisure items that help people to disengage and relax. For those who do not want to go to the effort of tracking down their own marijuana infused alcohol, making your own is not really that difficult.
However, as many bartenders and business owners have pointed out, the whole point is to maintain a pleasurable and relaxed atmosphere where people can chill out and have a good time. Mixing THCwith alcohol might not be the best option and having guests who are a mix of high and drunk may not be the best idea. The combination of marijuana and alcohol is a common enough occurrence, but you’re not likely to find many people who would recommend it. In small amounts, they’re both relatively safe. But when the two drugs are combined, they can exacerbate the effects of each other.
Marijuana Cocktails for the Future
For this reason, many are staying away from weed and wine cocktails for now, though they will most likely be a prominent feature in the future. For most customers, THC infused alcohol is a new experience and a significant amount will be unsure what their limits are. This could spell disaster and be more trouble than it is worth for business owners. But as evidenced with the $18 price tag for Mr Nice Guy, for those who move forward with cannabis cocktails the rewards will be very profitable indeed.
