Beer sales across the country are declining, and according to “Bar Rescue” host Jon Taffer, there’s one primary culprit to blame: marijuana.
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“Beer sales are way down right now,” he said on Friday during an interview with FOX Business’ Stuart Varney. “They’re in the toilet. And craft beer is down, premium beer is down. And we blame a lot of it on cannabis.”
That’s largely because users of cannabis — eight states, and Washington D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana, and 29 have legalized medicinal usage — stay at home, sit on their couches and opt to not go to bars, Taffer said.
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“Craft beer has lost its luster,” he said. “The small boutique breweries have lost their luster. And the beer category is in big trouble.”
According to a report from Business Insider, millennials and members of Generation Z are responsible for dragging down beer sales. A report from Berenberg Research found that members of Generation Z preferred drinks like wine, vodka and gin to beer.
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The solution? According to Taffer, it could be cannabis-licensed bars, which would allow patrons to smoke or ingest marijuana in places that also have obtained liquor licenses.
“I would [welcome it,” he said. “Because it’s eroding my industry. So either I have to accept the erosion, or participate in that erosion. That’s my choice. I have to move with the marketplace.”
