Fewer people are drinking overall, but especially young people. Gen-Z, known as the “dry generation,” has gone sober, opting for mocktails, prebiotic sodas like Olipop and Poppi, or the wellness non alcoholic drinks from Kin Euphorics, instead of beer or wine. Compared to previous generations, Gen-Z abstains from alcohol and is shifting towards activities that support their well-being and mental health. Gen-Z is pioneering their own version of wellness, which is paradoxical to their increased presence in virtual spaces. According to research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, drinking among young people began to decline around the year 2000. A 2023 survey from Gallup revealed that a percentage of adults under the age of 35 who say they have never had a drink dropped 10 percentage points to 62 percent in 2021-2023.

But while they may be refraining from drinking alcohol, the younger generation still opts for cannabis and other drug usage. Almost 80 percent of Americans live within a county with a dispensary, and cannabis-infused drinks are marketed towards younger consumers, boasting about the wellness benefits. Despite the decline in drinking, there is no clear correlation that this means that younger people have a preference for drugs. But the consequences of drinking — hangovers, weight gain and alcoholism — outweigh any potential benefits.

Bryson Wells, an account executive at Kiva Confections, had noticed these shifts in consumption. Wells began his career in the wine and spirits industry in 2019. The wine and spirits industry has been well established for over a hundred years, dating back to the Prohibition Era, but in recent years, sales have declined.

“So I looked at this chart randomly, and it showed that the pace of alcohol sales have been declining over the past five years since the pandemic,” Wells said “Sales of cannabis had been on the incline, and sometime last year was the first time it was at a crossroads, where the sales of cannabis outpaced alcohol, which sounds kind of crazy.”

Alcohol use has always been controversial. Like any substance, there is a risk of abusing that substance and hurting someone as a result. For younger people, who have witnessed the damage that comes with abusing alcohol, cannabis, thought not with its own risks, appears a safer option. Wells, who was surprised by the rise of the cannabis industry, started looking into making the transition. Initially, he looked for jobs in California, just before the pandemic, as the state is known in particular for cannabis, but it didn’t work out. Fast-forward to 2021, when New York legalized the sale of both medicinal and recreational marijuana. A few years later, both legal and illegal dispensaries began popping up around the city, presenting an opportunity for Wells to make the switch to the cannabis industry.

“I found out that the brand that I was interested in actually had jobs available here in New York, and around this same time, the company I was working for would send out reports on other industries that kind of run parallel to us, like tobacco,” Wells said. “I transitioned to cannabis because it’s a growing industry, extremely, extremely fast-growing industry. And yeah, it feels like I’m here at the ground level.”

The shift from wine and spirits to the cannabis industry revealed many insights. For Wells, he noticed that his particular clientele are older adults, aged 45 to 60. In their generation, cannabis was frowned upon, but as cannabis isn’t limited to just smoking, they enter the store looking for a variety of products. As the industry has evolved, there are edibles, gummies, THC-infused drinks, and more. From the cannabis connoisseur to those who are just curious, the cannabis industry can accommodate anyone.

During this age of wellness, where everyone is considerably concerned with what they put into their body, cannabis has emerged as a potentially more healthy alternative to pain medication or other mass-manufactured drugs. Wells, who is a distance runner, claims there are specific benefits of cannabis use for muscle recovery.

“Most of my recovery is centered around cannabis and CBD. So it’s a cannabinoid that’s in the marijuana leaf called CBG [that may be helpful] for swelling and chronic pain,” Wells said. “So with my company [Kiva], we have a chew that’s called freshly squeezed, and it has a CBG in it as well as THC. Of course, it’ll give you that high, but it’s more so geared towards ‘recovery,’ after a workout.”

“Multiple people say they take it for stomach pain or GI issues because it helps them sleep, it takes away the pain, and stuff like that. So that’s just my outlook, or just my personal experience.”

But these shifts aren’t just limited to the people that Wells serves. The legalization of cannabis in some states has shifted a conversation around cannabis use and its effects. The majority of the public also believes that cannabis is less harmful than tobacco, nicotine and alcohol. Some claim cannabis use has eased their chronic pain, reducing depression and anxiety. Stress has been the comprehensive characteristic over the past decade, from dealing with the chaotic Trump presidency (twice), a worldwide pandemic and the widening wealth gap. One can’t verify a direct correlation between these stressors and increasing marijuana use, but wanting to lift the world’s weight off your shoulders could be the reason some turn to cannabis to ease everyday stressors.

Despite positive shifts in attitudes towards cannabis use, a subset of people still have negative thoughts towards cannabis. While there are a small number of dispensaries in New York City (approximately 85 legal shops) and around 156 legal shops around the state, there are still many counties in the state that refuse to endorse the use of cannabis.

“You’ll see that Long Island only has about five to six dispensaries, legal dispensaries. Four of them are only in Farmingdale, New York. That’s because that’s the only county that spearheaded going forward with opening up new dispensaries,” Wells explained. “So that just kind of shows that the perception of it is still negative. But the politician there that didn’t want to bring in these dispensaries is now seeing the profits it’s bringing to this county, and now he’s all for it.”

Although the country has adopted a more progressive view on cannabis, there are still more conservative people who seem to deride any progress until there is an opportunity to make money. Last year, New York Governor Kathy Hochul celebrated New York crossing a billion-dollar milestone in retail sales. Possibly, presenting the profitability of cannabis can incentivize other political leaders to legalize within their states.

Hip-hop, in particular, has cultivated a communal spirit towards the evolution of cannabis culture. Across several decades, cannabis has been the muse of hip-hop and vice versa. Both cannabis and hip-hop have faced dissenting views in the eyes of the mainstream, and both have evolved into billion-dollar industries. Artists like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre have built their brands off the popularity of the plant, and the merging of cannabis with the genre has presented opportunities for entrepreneurship, leading to jobs. One could argue that hip-hop’s relationship with cannabis helped spur the legitimization of the industry. Across the country, there are resources for people to enter the cannabis industry, especially for people who have been charged with possession in the past. Shifting the stigma surrounding cannabis use doesn’t just open up new business opportunities, but allows those who have been shunned by the system a second chance. Ultimately, these shifts can’t occur without educating the community about the benefits they reap from the legalization.

“[There’s] a lot of negative still out there, but the positive is definitely steamrolling [change], and that comes along with the education of cannabis,” Wells said. “And that’s what a lot of people in our industry try to put out there, as far as transitioning that negative stigmatism to a positive, it’s just by educating their consumer.”