A new study finds that alcohol sales in Nova Scotia declined modestly following the legalization of recreational marijuana.
The research, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy and conducted by Brock University, examined monthly alcohol sales across government-owned stores over a 34-month span—17 months before and 17 months after legalization, which began in October 2018.
Stores that sold only alcohol experienced a 3% drop in sales post-legalization. In contrast, stores that also began selling marijuana saw a small initial sales increase of 0.55%, with alcohol sales rising an average of 0.29% per month.
Over the full post-legalization period, cannabis-selling stores averaged 3.1% higher alcohol sales compared to pre-legalization levels, while alcohol-only stores saw a 2.4% decline. Combined, total alcohol sales across all stores were down 1.2%.
Beer was the most affected category, with smaller shifts seen in spirits and wine. The researchers also accounted for variables such as store size and location, finding the patterns remained consistent.
The findings suggest that marijuana legalization did not lead to a dramatic shift in alcohol consumption but did appear to trigger modest substitution behaviors.
