This post was originally going to be a literature review of the impact that legalized marijuana (both medical and recreational) had on wine sales. As you will likely remember from class, the wine industry considers the legalization and increased acceptance of marijuana as a significant headwind as the two products compete for "share of buzz". TL;DR: the studies reach inconclusive results and we're likely too early in the legalization period to fully understand the impact.
Through this, I found a way to kill two birds with one stone: marijuana-infused wine. Aromatic wines actually aren't a new concept, and the practice of including marijuana, along with other herbs and spices, in wine dates back to ancient times. However, its prevalence has increased in California since the legalization of medical marijuana in 1996 (the state legalized recreational use in 2016), particularly as a mix with white wines. Its current legality, however, is a bit suspect: in June 2018, California's Alcohol Beverage Control issued an industry advisory that effectively banning the mix of alcohol and marijuana (across all stages of the three-tier distribution system). Best I can tell, the other states with legalized marijuana, too, have banned the mixing of the two substances.
If you're hoping to avoid the DIY option, there's CannaWine in Europe.
Sources:
https://californiawineryadvisor.com/weed-wine-what-know-cannabis-wine/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomaspellechia/2018/11/01/alcohol-and-cannabis-dont-mix-says-california-alcohol-beverage-control/#689c69475e78
Hi Sri, did not know this existed! One of the things that I thought could be fascinating along the lines of wine and marijuana is specific pairings of the two that go well together and improve the total experience. While last week, we heard that we should not trust the specific pairings regarding wine and food, I think since both wine and marijuana have substances that are both known to impact you physically, it is important to understand how these two substances interact together. This will enable consumers to utilize the two in beneficial instead of harmful ways.
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