Marijuana Moment: Cannabis Consumers Are Way More Likely To Dine At Restaurants That Offer THC Drinks As An Alcohol Alternative, Poll Shows

[Tokeativity]

A new poll of marijuana consumers shows they are overwhelmingly more likely to want to dine at restaurants that offer cannabis-derived THC drinks as an alternative to alcohol.

The new survey, conducted by cannabis telehealth platform NuggMD, found that 54 percent of people who use marijuana and live in state-legal markets would be much more likely to visit a local restaurant that offered THC beverages.

Another 23 percent said they are somewhat more likely to dine there, while 21 percent said it would have no effect on their decision and 3 percent said they would be less likely to become a patron.

“While most cannabis consumers prefer to use regular flower in the comfort of their own home, our polling does reflect a clear openness to social consumption,” Andrew Graham, head of communications for NuggMD, told Marijuana Moment. “For example, a separate poll from last year found most cannabis consumers say they have either high or moderate interest in dispensaries that double as cafes, social clubs, or wellness hubs.”

The poll comes shortly after the Texas steakhouse chain Logan’s Roadhouse announced it would begin testing three THC-infused cocktails at 14 of its locations.

“Beverage strikes me as the most appropriate ingestion format for social consumption, and that’s probably why both independent restaurants and chains like Logan’s Roadhouse are trying it out,” Graham said. “It’s clearly popular with consumers and the margins are probably on par with liquor.”

“The problem is the looming re-criminalization of hemp THC that’s currently set to go into effect in November, which would pull these products off of shelves and menus,” he said, referring to a new law to change the federal definition of legal hemp products. “Allowing that ban to go into effect would be a mistake that harms both businesses and consumers.”

Q: “A restaurant chain recently announced it will begin selling non-alcoholic, hemp THC beverages to adults at select locations. If a restaurant near you offered THC beverages, how would it affect your likelihood of visiting?”
	n:	%
Much more likely to visit	470	53.8%
Somewhat more likely to visit	199	22.8%
No effect	182	20.8%
Less likely to visit	22	2.5%

The NuggMD poll involved interviews with 873 cannabis consumers who live in state-legal markets from June 18-21 and has a margin of error of 3.32 percentage points.

The National Restaurant Association, which represents the industry, recently sent a letter urging congressional leaders to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC beverages that is scheduled to take effect later this year and replace it with a regulatory framework that “ensures consumer safety while meeting growing market demand” for the products as an alternative to alcohol.

Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, he signed new legislation containing provisions that will redefine hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container will remain legal after November 12.

As Marijuana Moment reported this month, a Republican congresswoman is circulating draft legislation that would keep hemp THC beverages legal under federal law, creating a carve-out from the broad recriminalization of products derived from the crop that is set to take effect later this year.

The Hemp-Derived Beverage Regulatory Clarity Act from Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), in its current form, would allow adults over 21 to purchase and consume hemp THC drinks with up to 5 milligrams of delta-9 THC per serving. It would also impose a federal tax of 10 cents per milligram of any hemp-derived cannabinoid contained within such beverages.

The circulation of the new draft legislation and the restaurant group’s push comes as the White House is making it clear that Trump wants Congress to take action to amend the law that threatens to federally recriminalize hemp-derived products.

In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) this month, White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought said the administration wants lawmakers to “ensure the fair treatment of hemp products”—specifically citing legislation that would keep many hemp products legal that are currently set to be recriminalized this year, add labeling requirements and institute new taxes on sales, among other regulatory reforms.

The administration “welcomes the opportunity to work with the Congress to, at a minimum, update the statutory definition of final hemp-derived cannabinoid products to allow Americans to benefit from access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products,” OMB separately said this month, “while preserving the Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose serious health risks.”

The call to avert a broad prohibition on hemp CBD products was included in a statement of administration policy about an annual agriculture spending bill that passed the House of Representatives.

Several lawmakers had filed amendments to that legislation to keep hemp products legal, but each was either blocked by the House Rules Committee from advancing to a floor vote or withdrawn by its sponsor.

“The Administration supports advancement of this legislation, but looks forward to addressing its concerns prior to enactment,” OMB said in its statement of administration policy. “The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to provide more input as the bill’s legislative process unfolds.”

In April, the president himself urged congressional lawmakers to again redefine hemp to avoid recriminalization of full-spectrum CBD products.

“I am calling on Congress to update the Law to ensure that Americans can continue to access the full-spectrum CBD products they have come to rely on, and that help them, while preserving Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose Health risks,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on the same day his administration announced it is moving forward with rescheduling marijuana.

“We must get this done RIGHT and FAST, especially for those who saw that CBD helps them,” he said. “Plus, I am told it will also help our GREAT FARMERS, who we love, and will always be there for.”

Industry advocates say that the law as enacted last year not only threatens to prohibit intoxicating and synthetic cannabinoid products but also stands to remove popular full-spectrum CBD products that many Americans use therapeutically from the market.

“ONE in FIVE adults used it in the past year, and many say it improved their chronic pain enormously,” the president said in his social media post, adding that hemp-derived CBD “has made a HUGE difference for so many people.”

He also referenced a new initiative the administration launched in April to cover up to $500 worth of hemp-derived products each year for eligible Medicare patients. The program being implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) focuses largely on CBD but also allows products to have up to 3 milligrams of total THC per serving.

“In December, I signed a very important Executive Order calling for Research and Innovation for Hemp-derived CBD,” Trump said. “Our wonderful Dr. Mehmet Oz moved fast to follow the directive in the Executive Order, and launched a model for some Seniors earlier this month. But more must be done!”

“Please get it done, and SOON,” the president said in reference to a congressional fix for the broad recriminalization set to take effect in November. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

It’s not clear how far Trump wants to scale back the scope of the scheduled federal restrictions on hemp products and what kinds of revised THC rules and limitations he would prefer to sign into law.

Separately, White House officials recently provided a congressman’s office with feedback on hemp regulatory legislation.

In April, Vince Haley, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and James Braid, assistant to the president for legislative affairs, sent hemp policy suggestions to Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY).

“We appreciate your work to advance the policy of” an executive order Trump signed in December that included provisions seeking to protect Americans’ access to CBD products, the staffers wrote in a letter to the congressman.

“We are transmitting for your consideration draft legislative text and comments to address the statutory definition of final hemp-derived cannabinoid products in order to allow Americans to benefit from access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products while preserving the Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose serious health risks,” the White House officials said, according to a social media post containing a screenshot of the letter. “We are available for discussion and further technical assistance.”

A U.S. Department of Agriculture report published in April shows that farmers in the U.S. grew three-quarters of a billion dollars worth of hemp crops in 2025—a 64 percent increase from the prior year.

A previous NuggMD poll found that cannabis consumers are more likely to shop at Target following the major retailer’s decision to start selling hemp-derived THC drinks,

In partnership with Marijuana Moment, meanwhile NuggMD has also been conducting quarterly presidential approval tracking polls that record cannabis consumer sentiment about the Trump administration’s actions on the issue. The latest iteration published last month found that Trump has seen a massive swing in support for his administration’s marijuana policy actions from consumers since moving to federally reschedule medical cannabis—with nearly three out of four now having a favorable view

The post Cannabis Consumers Are Way More Likely To Dine At Restaurants That Offer THC Drinks As An Alcohol Alternative, Poll Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net