“When we started out, vaping was purely about quitting smoking and a very niche product for a specific type of buyer,” says James Smith, Head of Vaping Community at Discount Vape Pen. “Watching cannabis accessories become part of how people socialise and relax, in the same conversation as a glass of wine or a cocktail, is a shift nobody saw coming fifteen years ago.”
Something has changed at the bar. Order a round of drinks at a house party and there’s a decent chance at least one person passes on the wine and reaches for a vape pen instead. Across the US, a generational shift in how people choose to unwind is well underway, and the numbers behind it are hard to ignore.
Around 69% of young adults aged 18 to 24 say they prefer cannabis to alcohol, according to a study by New Frontier Data, with 56% reporting they have replaced some of their alcohol consumption with cannabis. Meanwhile, global wine consumption in 2024 hit its lowest level since 1961, per the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, driven in large part by declining demand among younger consumers.
This is not simply a story about people getting high instead of drunk. It reflects a broader rethinking of what relaxation looks like, what it costs, and what it does to your body the morning after.
The Hangover Factor
Health and wellness sit at the centre of this shift. A Gallup survey found that the share of adults under 35 who say they ever drink dropped ten percentage points over two decades, from 72% in 2001–2003 to 62% in 2021–2023. Researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism note that younger generations are increasingly likely to see alcohol as a health risk and to take part in periods of abstinence like Dry January.
Cost plays a role too. With cocktails at urban venues regularly hitting $17 or more, cannabis offers a more affordable alternative. More than four in ten US consumers are actively working to moderate their alcohol intake, with Gen Z and Millennials at the forefront of that trend.
Hardware Is Part of the Ritual
What has made cannabis a genuine social alternative to alcohol is not just the product itself, but the experience around it. The ritual of opening a bottle, choosing a glass, and pouring a drink has long been part of alcohol’s appeal. Cannabis has developed its own equivalent, and the hardware has become as considered as the product inside it.
“The 510-thread battery has become the standard in cannabis vaping the way the corkscrew became standard for wine,” says Smith. “People pay attention to the device they use because it genuinely affects the experience. Temperature control, airflow, and the quality of the cartridge all shape the flavour and the effect in ways that matter to a more discerning consumer.”
The parallel with wine culture is not accidental. Terpene profiles, the aromatic compounds in cannabis that shape its flavour and effect, are now discussed in the kind of language once reserved for sommeliers. A cartridge heavy in myrcene offers a more sedative, earthy experience. One rich in limonene skews brighter and more uplifting. For a generation raised on craft beer and single-origin coffee, this level of nuance is familiar territory.
A Shifting Market
The drinks industry is paying attention. Cannabis beverages — infused drinks that deliver THC without alcohol — are emerging as a growing niche in the adult beverage market, with more than a quarter of US consumers planning to try one. Major beverage companies have been watching the category closely, and several have already moved to acquire or partner with cannabis brands.
A 2024 survey found that nearly half of Americans believe marijuana is the new alcohol, and 94% say it is more socially acceptable than it was previously. That kind of cultural normalisation has taken decades to build, and it is accelerating.
The question the drinks industry now faces is the same one the tobacco industry faced when vaping arrived: adapt or lose the customer. Younger consumers are not waiting for the market to catch up with them. They are already making their choices, one cartridge or cocktail at a time.
