Chicago-based Technomic, a Winsight company, announced it will embark on a new multi-client study entitled “The Marijuana Effect: Understanding the Implications of Legal Recreational Cannabis Products on Restaurants & Bars.” The study will explore the impact of legalized marijuana on major industries, including adult beverages and foodservice.
Although recreational cannabis use still is illegal at the federal level, nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use. Nine more states are expected to follow suit by the year 2020, and Canada is slated to legalize recreational marijuana use in the summer of 2018. In states where cannabis use already has been legalized, the products are regulated similarly to alcohol, with evolving regulations regarding on-premise and public use.
With this study, the market research firm seeks to help established industry players understand the following aspects of the rapidly growing marijuana industry:
- Adult beverage consumer usage, attitudes and behaviors relative to marijuana and cannabis products
- Shifts in at-home and away-from-home occasions and adult beverage consumption
- Impact on away-from-home frequency and occasion dynamics
- On-premise outlook for adult beverages when recreational use of cannabis is permitted
- Implications for off-premise purchases of adult beverages
- On-premise challenges and needs for restaurant operators
- Opportunities and strategies for success in the new marketplace
"As adoption of legal cannabis grows, so do the opportunities and threats to established players in both the adult beverage and foodservice industries," said Donna Hood Crecca, associate principal at Technomic, who will be leading the study, in a statement. "This is a potential disruptor for the alcohol, restaurant and bar industries, and we look forward to bringing deep, actionable insights to support stakeholders in succeeding in the evolving marketplace."
