Legal weed is prompting an epidemic of the munchies in states that sell recreational cannabis, with sales of salty and sweet snacks rising faster where marijuana is legal.
America is a nation of snackers, so increases in sales might be expected anyway. But recent Nielson data draws a correlation between states where marijuana is legal and “candy and snack growth rate”. Sales grew by 2 percent in states with legal weed compared to 1.3 percent in states where it remained illegal. And snack sales grew 7.2 percent in states where pot has been legalized, compared to 6 percent in non-stoner states. Overall, salty snacks had sales of $29.9 billion and sweet snacks had sales of $6.5 billion, Axios reported.
Nielsen said that the munchies are creating “big opportunities for the American food and beverage market, particularly for the snack and confectionery category.” Marijuana is legal for recreational use in 11 states and Washington DC, and a number of others, including New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, have also considered legalization.
The munchies phenomenon is so well-known that even enterprising Girl Scouts have cashed in on it, setting up cookie-hustling booths outside of marijuana dispensaries.
