Thirty percent of adults consume cannabis—and cannabis consumers skew younger in age.
Jason Zelinski, vice president of convenience and growth accounts at Chicago-based NielsenIQ, shared this at CSP’s Cold Vault Forum in Lombard, Illinois, where tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, beverages were a popular topic among speakers.
Zelinski added that 150 million people visit a c-store daily. “If you just do basic math, that’s 45 million people who consume THC walking into a c-store every single day,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that THC is not legal everywhere. Twenty-four states have legalized recreational marijuana as of 2025, according to covercannabis.com.
“If you do have the opportunity to put THC beverages inside your stores, I highly recommend it,” he said. “We deserve to own this. C-store is the controlled substance place; we’ve been doing this for years. We’ve been doing it with [beverage alcohol], we've been doing it with nicotine. So, there’s no better place to be selling this kind of controlled substance than inside a convenience store.”
The top reason consumers choose cannabis instead of alcohol is to relax, Zelinski said. He added that 33% of consumers drink beer alongside cannabis in bars and restaurants. In fact, the top drink category consumed alongside cannabis on premise is beer, he said.
“Cannabis/THC/Delta 8/ Delta 9 infused beverages are gaining traction in retail,” he said, citing NielsenIQ data showing that in the 52 weeks ending April 19, cannabis beverage sales were $117 million, up 346% from a year ago.
Outlets include extended all outlet combined plus convenience and liquor stores.
He added that cannabis beverages are becoming increasingly popular in states where recreational cannabis is legal—as well as in states that use a gray area in legislation for legal sales.
In the convenience-store channel specifically, the dollar sales of THC/cannabis beverages are:
- First-quarter 2023: $0.2 million
- Second-quarter 2023: $0.5 million
- Third-quarter 2023: $0.7 million
- Fourth-quarter 2023: $0.8 million
- First-quarter 2024: $1.1 million
- Second-quarter 2024: $2.1 million
- Third-quarter 2024: $3.9 million
- Fourth-quarter 2024: $5.2 million
- First-quarter 2025: $7.5 million
Regarding milligrams of THC, Zelinski said the leader, at 35% of THC/cannabis beverages sold in c-stores, contains 5 milligrams, 16% contain 10 milligrams, 9% contain 20 milligrams, 3% contain 6 to 9 milligrams, and 2% less than 5 milligrams. “All other,” which includes items coded as “contains THC,” “THC” and “Plus THC” without milligram coding, make up 35%.
‘Green Rush’
Duane Stanford, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, spoke of a THC beverage “green rush.”
The U.S. Farm legalized hemp-derived THC in 2018, and the global cannabis beverages market is projected to reach $3.8 billion by 2030 from $1.2 billion in 2023, Stanford said, citing researchandmarkets.com.
He added that millennials and Gen Z are driving a shift toward THC-infused beverages as healthier alternatives.
“THC-infused beverages are now available at mainstream retailers like Total Wine & More in Minnesota and ABC Liquors in Florida,” he said.
Switching From What?
About 33% of those switching to CBD (cannabidiol) /THC-infused drinks are leaving beer, said Nik Modi, managing director of Toronto-based RBC Capital Markets.
Hard seltzer, at 31%, is the second-most-replaced beverage, followed by wine, 29%, and liquor (e.g., whiskey, vodka, rum), also 29%. These numbers come from a survey from Chicago-based consumer insights and data company Numerator.
Soft drinks, including energy drinks, is next, at 28%, followed by ready-to-drink cocktails, at 22%.
The main reasons for using cannabis products, said Modi, citing Numerator data:
- Stress relief: 62% THC users, 41% CBD users
- Sleep aid: 57% THC users, 38% CBD users
- Pain management: 50% THC users, 61% CBD users
- Recreational: 38% THC users, 5% CBD users
- Medicinal: 33% THC users, 29% CBD users
- Coping mechanism: 23% THC users, 9% CBD users
- Social: 21% THC users, 4% CBD users
- Appetite stimulation: 14% THC users, 2% CBD users
- Creativity: 13%: THC users, 2% CBD users
- Enhanced sensory experiences: 13% THC users, 2% CBD users
“Stress relief, sleep and pain management are the top three reasons for cannabis use overall, but the latter [pain management] is most prevalent among CBD users,” Modi said. “THC is more broadly used for recreational, social and creative purposes given its intoxicating properties.”
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