The backyard is packed. Someone's working the grill, kids are darting through a sprinkler, and a cooler sits in the corner of the patio. For decades, that cooler held one thing: beer. But more and more, the adults reaching into it are pulling out something different — a low-dose THC beverage — and the reason goes beyond flavor or calories.
In the largest real-world observational study of infused beverages conducted to date, 77.4% of adult participants reported that the THC drink they used was safer or much safer than alcohol when it came to social consequences. Not just their liver. Not just the morning after. The social part of drinking — the version of yourself that shows up in front of the people you care about most.
That single number reframes a conversation the beverage industry has been circling for years. We talk a lot about what alcohol does to the body. We talk far less about what it does to the room. So when nearly four in five adults say a THC beverage felt like the more socially sound choice, it's worth slowing down and looking at exactly what they were asked, who was asking, and why this matters for anyone exploring a more mindful way to gather.
Key Takeaways
- In a real-world study of 5,000+ participants and 20 brands, 77.4% of adults felt their THC beverage was safer or much safer than alcohol on social consequences (N = 1,925).
- A separate question found 87.4% felt it was safer or much safer on health consequences.
- Fewer than 2.5% felt the THC drink was less safe socially; fewer than 1% felt it was less safe for health.
- The data is observational and self-reported — it reflects how people felt, not a clinical safety claim. Individual results vary.
The study behind the numbers
These findings come from the Real-World Infused Beverage Study run by MoreBetter, Ltd., a consumer-research platform and contract research organization that specializes in collecting real-world data on how people actually use functional and wellness products.
A few things make this dataset stand out. First, scale: across two cohorts, the study has tracked more than 5,000 participants and 20 brands, making it the largest consumer dataset in the cannabis beverage category to date. Second, methodology: rather than a tightly controlled lab setting, participants logged daily, self-reported feedback over a multi-week period on their infused-beverage and alcohol consumption, mood, sleep, and overall quality of life — capturing how these drinks fit into real evenings, real gatherings, and real routines.
The analysis was framed through applied cannabinoid pharmacology by Dr. Miyabe Shields and Dr. Riley Kirk of the Network of Applied Pharmacognosy (NAP), a nonprofit research and education organization working at the intersection of plant medicine and consumer education. MoreBetter and NAP released the Cohort 2 findings in a public webinar on June 4, 2026 — and Minnesota's own 23rd State was among the sponsor brands featured in the release.
One important note before we dig in: this is observational research. It documents what participants reported feeling, not the output of a randomized controlled trial. That distinction matters, and we'll come back to it. But it's also exactly what makes the data so interesting — it captures the lived, real-world experience of thousands of adults choosing how they want to drink.
"Family-friendly" by the data: 77.4% chose THC drinks on social consequences
In the study's exit interview, participants were asked a deceptively simple question: "Comparing the study product to alcohol in terms of social consequences, do you think the study product is..."
Here's how 1,925 adults answered.
- Much safer — 40.8%
- Safer — 36.6%
- Equal — 15.0%
- Less safe — 1.8%
- Much less safe — 0.6%
- I do not know — 5.1%
Add the top two responses together and you get 77.4% — more than three out of four adults landing on the "safer" side of the ledger when thinking about how a THC drink plays out socially compared to alcohol. Just as telling is the bottom of the chart: a combined 2.4% felt the THC beverage was less safe socially. The lopsidedness is the story.
So what does "social consequences" actually capture? It's the part of drinking that lives outside your bloodstream — the argument that escalated, the thing you said and wished you hadn't, the keys you shouldn't have picked up, the morning spent apologizing or piecing the night back together. It's also the quieter stuff: being half-checked-out at your kid's birthday party, or too foggy to actually be there for the people in front of you.
That's where the "family-friendly" framing comes in — and it's worth being precise about what we mean. "Family-friendly" doesn't mean these are products for the whole family. They are strictly for adults 21 and over. It means that the adults who choose them often report showing up to the cookout, the holiday dinner, or the backyard hangout as a clearer, more present version of themselves — and the data suggests that's a widely shared experience, not a one-off.
Health consequences: 87.4% felt THC drinks were safer
The social-consequences finding doesn't stand alone. The study asked a parallel question about health consequences — and the numbers were even more decisive.
"Comparing the study product to alcohol in terms of your health consequences, do you think the study product is..."
- Much safer — 49.8%
- Safer — 37.7%
- Equal — 6.2%
- Less safe — 0.5%
- Much less safe — 0.4%
- I do not know — 5.5%
Combined, 87.4% of participants reported feeling that the THC beverage they used was safer or much safer than alcohol for their health — a figure that also appears in MoreBetter's own reporting on the study. On the other end, fewer than 1% of adults felt the THC drink was less safe than alcohol for their health.
It's not hard to see where that perception comes from. Alcohol's documented health toll is substantial and well-quantified. According to the CDC, excessive alcohol use is responsible for roughly 178,000 deaths in the United States each year and shortens the lives of those who die by an average of 24 years — a figure that climbed nearly 29% over a recent five-year window. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports that alcohol contributed to more than 4.2 million emergency-department visits in a single year.
Here's the careful read, and it's an important one: the study does not prove that THC beverages are safer than alcohol, and nothing here should be taken as a health claim or medical advice. What it shows is that, given a real choice and weeks of real-world experience, the overwhelming majority of adults perceived the THC option as the safer one. Perception is what drives the choices people actually make — and that's precisely what this dataset measures.
What "social consequences" really means (and why it matters)
We tend to file alcohol's downsides under "health." But a huge share of its real-world impact is fundamentally social, and the public-health data backs that up.
Alcohol is consistently linked to outcomes that ripple outward to other people: the NIAAA notes that alcohol increases the risk of injuries and deaths from violence, falls, fires, and motor vehicle crashes, while the CDC ties excessive drinking to violence, risky behavior, and harm to those around the drinker, not just the drinker themselves. These aren't liver-function numbers — they're things that happen in front of family, friends, coworkers, and strangers.
This is the dimension the 77.4% figure speaks to, and it's where the "family-friendly" idea earns its keep. Consider the everyday social costs adults are weighing when they reach for a beverage at a gathering:
- The hangover tax. Tomorrow's plans, the early soccer game, the brunch you committed to — alcohol borrows against all of it. Many participants in mindful-drinking research point to avoiding the morning after as a top reason for switching.
- Presence vs. impairment. There's a difference between loosening up and checking out. A low-dose THC drink is often chosen specifically to take the edge off an evening without losing the thread of the conversation.
- Regret and unpredictability. The unpredictability of "one more" is part of alcohol's social risk profile. A measured 10mg pour is, by design, easier to keep predictable.
- Showing up. For a lot of adults, the real goal isn't intoxication at all — it's to participate in the ritual of a shared drink without sacrificing the version of themselves they want their family to see.
None of this requires demonizing alcohol or making sweeping claims. It simply reflects what a large group of real adults reported: when they pictured the social fallout of their drink of choice, most felt a THC beverage was the safer bet. (Curious how THC drinks stack up against other formats on this front? Our guide to THC drinks vs. edibles breaks down why the format you choose changes the experience.)
The sober curious and "Cali sober" connection
None of this is happening in a vacuum. It maps almost perfectly onto one of the most durable consumer shifts of the decade: the move toward mindful drinking.
The sober curious movement — adults questioning the automatic role of alcohol in their social lives without necessarily quitting entirely — has gone fully mainstream, powered by Dry January, "damp" lifestyles, and a generation that's drinking less than the ones before it. Alongside it, the "Cali sober" approach — stepping away from alcohol while remaining open to cannabis — has given that curiosity a concrete, social-friendly substitute.
THC beverages sit right at the center of this Venn diagram. They preserve the ritual of drinking — the cold can in your hand, the clink at a toast, the act of sipping something while you talk — while swapping out the molecule. The MoreBetter data gives that cultural shift an evidence base: this isn't just a trend piece, it's thousands of adults reporting, in their own words, that the trade felt worth it on both the health and the social side of the ledger.
The timing tracks, too. Interest in alcohol alternatives reliably spikes in the new year, and the conversation around "what do I bring instead of wine?" gets louder around every holiday and family gathering on the calendar. For adults already asking those questions, a number like 77.4% is less a surprise than a confirmation.
How 23rd State fits the "family-friendly" moment
23rd State was built for exactly this moment — and not by accident. The brand's name nods to Minnesota becoming the 23rd state to legalize adult-use cannabis, and its whole approach is evidence-forward and premium, the kind of drink you're proud to set on the table rather than hide in a back cooler.
For adults exploring a more present way to gather, the lineup is built around low-dose, sociable formats designed to be easy to keep measured:
- Fresh Press — a crisp, perry-style sparkling beverage at 10mg THC / 10mg CBG. The everyday, hand-it-to-a-guest option.
- Blush Crush — a sparkling bubbly in a 750mL format (10mg THC / 10mg CBG per serving) made to be poured, shared, and toasted with. The bottle that earns a spot at the celebration where a wine bottle used to go.
- SHAKE — an edible glitter beverage enhancer (30mg THC / 90mg CBG) in three colorways, for turning any pour into something a little more festive.
The throughline is intentionality: clearly labeled, consistent dosing that makes it simple to enjoy a drink and stay present — the exact balance those 1,925 adults were weighing when they answered the social-consequences question. (Want the full third-party picture behind these claims? Explore our research and science hub and browse lab results for every batch.)
Ready to see what a more family-friendly pour looks like? Shop the full 23rd State collection.
Responsible enjoyment: what the data doesn't say
Because we're an evidence-forward brand, it's just as important to be clear about the limits of these findings as it is to celebrate them.
This was an observational study. Participants self-reported their experiences; the data reflects perceptions and lived experience, not the controlled conditions of a clinical trial. It tells us how a large group of adults felt — which is genuinely valuable — but it does not establish a medical or scientific safety claim, and it shouldn't be read as one.
Individual results vary. Cannabinoids affect everyone differently based on tolerance, body chemistry, what else is in your system, and the setting. What felt right for a study participant may not be your experience.
These are adult products. 23rd State beverages are for adults 21 and over. They are not for minors, not for anyone who is pregnant or nursing, and never something to combine with driving or operating machinery. "Family-friendly" describes a more present adult, not a product for the whole family.
Start low, go slow. If you're newer to infused beverages, a single 10mg serving is a sensible starting point. Give it time before deciding whether to have more — the predictability is the point.
None of these caveats undercut the headline. They're what make it trustworthy. The most compelling case for THC beverages isn't hype — it's a large, transparent dataset paired with honesty about what it does and doesn't prove.
The bottom line
Strip away the marketing and you're left with a striking, real-world signal: given a genuine choice and weeks to live with it, 77.4% of adults felt their THC drink was the safer choice on social consequences, and 87.4% felt the same about their health. For a culture rethinking the automatic role of alcohol at the table, that's a meaningful piece of evidence — and a quietly powerful argument for a more present way to gather.
If your next family barbecue, holiday dinner, or backyard hangout has you eyeing the cooler a little differently, you're not alone. You're part of a shift thousands of adults just put on the record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are THC drinks safer than alcohol? In MoreBetter's real-world study, the large majority of adult participants felt THC beverages were safer than alcohol — 87.4% on health consequences and 77.4% on social consequences. Importantly, this reflects self-reported perception from observational research, not a clinical safety claim. Individual results vary.
What are "social consequences" in the study? Social consequences refer to how drinking affects your behavior and relationships in front of others — things like impairment, regrettable decisions, presence at gatherings, and the next-day "hangover tax" — as opposed to internal health effects. 77.4% of participants felt a THC drink was safer or much safer than alcohol on this measure.
How big and credible is the MoreBetter study? It's the largest consumer dataset in the cannabis beverage category to date, tracking more than 5,000 participants and 20 brands across two cohorts. Findings were framed by Dr. Miyabe Shields and Dr. Riley Kirk of the Network of Applied Pharmacognosy and released publicly in June 2026.
How much THC is in a 23rd State drink? Core beverages like Fresh Press and Blush Crush are formulated at 10mg THC per serving (with 10mg CBG), a low, sociable dose designed to be easy to keep measured. SHAKE, an enhancer, is more concentrated at 30mg THC / 90mg CBG. All products are for adults 21 and over.
Can I have a THC drink at a family gathering? Many adults choose low-dose THC beverages precisely for social settings, citing a clearer, more present experience and no hangover. As with any adult beverage, enjoy responsibly: 21+ only, never before driving, and not if you're pregnant or nursing. Start with a single serving if you're new to infused drinks.
Sources: MoreBetter, Ltd. Real-World Infused Beverage Study; Network of Applied Pharmacognosy (NAP); Brewbound; CDC — Alcohol Facts & Stats; NIAAA — Alcohol-Related Emergencies and Deaths. Study figures reflect self-reported participant perceptions from observational research. This article is for informational purposes only, is not medical advice, and makes no health claims. For adults 21+.
