Spotlighting the Largest Real-World Cannabis Beverage Study
At 23rd State, we believe the cannabis beverage category should be measured by evidence, not enthusiasm. So when a respected beverage-industry publication takes the time to examine the data behind our category with a critical, operator-minded eye, we pay close attention — and we say thank you.
We're grateful to Bev Wire, and to writer Lisa Nakamura, for covering the largest real-world cannabis beverage study conducted to date in a recent piece in their Spirits section. You can read the full article here: Cannabis Beverage Study Shows >5k Consumers Prefer Safer Alcohol Alternatives. Coverage like this helps move our industry's conversation from anecdote to evidence — exactly where we think it belongs.
Who Is Bev Wire, and Why Their Coverage Matters
Bev Wire is a digital journal built for beverage-industry intelligence, with sections spanning beer, wine, and spirits and an audience of the operators, retailers, distributors, and buyers who actually build menus and stock shelves. It's a trade outlet, not a lifestyle blog — which is precisely why their attention means something to us.
What we value most is that Bev Wire looks at the business case rather than the hype. They scrutinize. Brand-sponsored data gets the skeptical treatment it deserves, and claims get pressure-tested against market context and regulatory reality. The fact that a publication serving the broader beverage world is now tracking the cannabis beverage category alongside bourbon, mezcal, and zero-proof spirits is a signal in itself: this category has arrived as a serious commercial conversation. Their analysis didn't simply repeat a press release. It pressed on substitution rates, on where non-alcoholic growth is really coming from, and on the regulatory headwinds operators need to watch. That kind of rigor is a gift to a category that has too often run on vibes.
What the Study Found — and Where 23rd State Fit In
The study at the center of Bev Wire's coverage is MoreBetter's Real-World Infused Beverage Study, conducted in partnership with the Network of Applied Pharmacognosy (NAP). Across two cohorts, the research tracked more than 5,000 participants and 20 brands — the largest consumer dataset the cannabis beverage category has produced. 23rd State is one of the sponsor brands featured in the release.
The headline aggregate findings are worth restating in plain terms:
- More than 80% of participants rated each sponsor product as safer for their health than their usual alcoholic drink — and every single sponsor product cleared that bar.
- Every sponsor product was statistically unlikely to produce a next-day hangover.
- Substitution behavior — choosing an infused beverage in moments where someone would normally reach for alcohol — was documented at the weekly, daily, and setting-specific level across both cohorts.
For our flagship Fresh Press Perry — a pear-forward, lightly sparkling, low-dose THC drink — the individual numbers were especially meaningful. More than half of participants (53.3%) said they now prefer Fresh Press to their usual alcoholic drink, and 58.3% said they'd consider it a regular alternative to alcohol. Our broader Cohort 2 lineup, including SHAKE and Blush Crush Infused Bubbly, met the same aggregate sponsor-product thresholds.
These aren't lab projections or focus-group impressions. They reflect how real people used these products in their real lives, in their own settings, over multiple weeks — which is exactly the kind of evidence the category has been missing.
The Numbers Behind "Safer Alcohol Alternative"
The phrase "alcohol alternative" gets used loosely across the beverage aisle. What we appreciate about Bev Wire's coverage is that it grounded the phrase in behavior rather than marketing.
The analysis highlighted a substitution rate of roughly 58.6% among cannabis-beverage users, compared with about 47.2% among people who use non-beverage cannabis products. That gap is a quiet but important finding: it suggests the format itself matters, not just the cannabinoid. A drink slots into existing social and evening routines in a way a gummy or a vape simply doesn't.
The coverage also pointed to a measurable harm-reduction signal. Participants who switched reported cutting their weekly alcohol intake from roughly seven drinks down to about three and a half — nearly a 50% reduction. Cutting your weekly drinks almost in half is the kind of outcome public-health researchers genuinely care about, and it's the kind of outcome that thoughtfully dosed, low-potency beverages are designed to support.
We've long argued that dose consistency is the real behavioral driver here. When every can or bottle delivers the same predictable, low dose, people can build a reliable routine around it — they know what they're getting and how they'll feel. Bev Wire's read of the data lines up neatly with that thesis. Predictability is what turns a novelty purchase into a genuine habit, and a genuine habit is what turns a category into a fixture on the shelf.
Why Healthy Skepticism Is Good for the Cannabis Beverage Category
We want to be clear-eyed here: Bev Wire did not publish a glowing, uncritical endorsement — and we wouldn't have wanted it to. Their analysis noted plainly that the study is brand-sponsored, observed that the broader non-alcoholic beverage boom is driven heavily by soda and water rather than functional drinks alone, and underscored an evolving regulatory landscape that distributors and retailers need to monitor closely.
We think that's exactly right.
The cannabis beverage industry has a credibility gap to close, and it will not close that gap by cheerleading. It closes by inviting scrutiny, by funding independent research, and by letting the data speak — even when the honest read is that the trend is real but still modest. A trade publication applying the same critical lens to our category that it applies to whiskey, tequila, and non-alcoholic spirits isn't a slight. It's a milestone. It means cannabis beverages are being evaluated as a legitimate commercial category by the very people who decide what earns shelf space and menu placement. That is the conversation we have always wanted to be in, and we'd rather be challenged in it than flattered out of it.
Join the June 4 Webinar with MoreBetter and NAP
If Bev Wire's coverage made you curious, here's your chance to go straight to the source.
On Thursday, June 4, 2026, MoreBetter and NAP will release the full Cohort 2 findings in a free public webinar at 2:00 PM ET. Co-hosts Dr. Miyabe Shields and Dr. Riley Kirk will frame the results within applied cannabinoid pharmacology, and MoreBetter will walk through how participants actually used these beverages — the settings, the multi-week consumption patterns, and how people rated the overall experience.
The session runs roughly 30 minutes of structured content followed by 15 minutes of live audience Q&A, and it's open to consumers, brand operators, beverage retailers, researchers, and the policy community alike. Registration is free, with an optional donation supporting NAP's ongoing research and education work, and a recording will be made available to anyone who registers but can't attend live. If you care where this category is heading, this is the data conversation to be part of.
What This Means for the Future of Mindful Drinking
The "sober curious" and mindful-drinking movements have already reshaped beverage retail — from non-alcoholic beer to functional sodas to zero-proof spirits. Cannabis beverages are emerging as a distinct lane within that broader shift, and 23rd State has built its entire approach around treating that lane seriously.
For three years, we've grown a woman-founded, family-run brand on a simple premise: a thoughtfully designed, research-backed beverage can give adults a genuine alternative to alcohol without asking them to give up the ritual of a great drink in hand. The MoreBetter dataset — and credible coverage like Bev Wire's — are the receipts. They show that real people are reaching for low-dose infused beverages in the exact moments they'd normally pour a glass of wine or crack a beer, and that they tend to feel better for it the next morning.
We're proud that our products are part of that growing evidence base. We're prouder still that the category is finally being measured the way every serious beverage category should be: with real-world data, independent science, and a trade press willing to ask hard questions. You can explore the science behind our lineup anytime on our research hub.
Thank You, Bev Wire
So, one more time: thank you to Bev Wire and to Lisa Nakamura for the thoughtful, rigorous coverage. Amplifying credible, independent reporting is part of how we do our job — because the cannabis beverage category grows when the conversation is honest, data-driven, and open to challenge.
We'd encourage anyone interested in where infused beverages are headed to read the full Bev Wire article, register for the June 4 webinar, and explore the research behind Fresh Press, SHAKE, and Blush Crush for themselves. Here's to a category that earns its place on the shelf — one well-designed drink, and one honest data point, at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MoreBetter Real-World Infused Beverage Study? It's the largest consumer dataset in the cannabis beverage category to date, run by consumer-research platform MoreBetter with the Network of Applied Pharmacognosy. Across two cohorts, it tracked more than 5,000 participants and 20 brands, documenting how people use low-dose infused beverages in real-world settings.
Is 23rd State part of the cannabis beverage study? Yes. 23rd State is one of the featured sponsor brands, with Fresh Press Perry, SHAKE, and Blush Crush Infused Bubbly included in the Cohort 2 lineup. All of the brand's products met the aggregate sponsor-product thresholds.
When is the cannabis beverage study webinar? The free public webinar releasing the full Cohort 2 findings takes place Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET, co-hosted by MoreBetter and NAP's Dr. Miyabe Shields and Dr. Riley Kirk. A recording is available to registrants.
What is Fresh Press Perry? Fresh Press Perry is 23rd State's flagship beverage — a pear-forward, lightly effervescent, low-dose THC perry designed as a consistent, research-backed alternative to alcohol.
