Welcome Note

Welcome Back Gardeners to the 107th edition of Herbal Profiles!

Happy Friday yall! I am going to need your help, I am up in Chicago enjoying a little crispy weather for my birthday weekend - I’ll be hanging up in Lakeview East for the most part. This is where my Chicagoan’s need to show out and hit me with your recs for places to hit up to enjoy nice THC bevvy at the bar!

No news roundup this week as I am technically on PTO today yall! But I will be back next week with a pretty robust roundup!

And don’t miss the latest episode of the Free Spirits Podcast. 

Let’s get into it.

-Lars

The subreddit I moderate with Chris Fontes hit 1,400 subscribers! And my other subreddit for the broader CPG industry is also growing, hitting 100 subscribers. I would love to have you join us on either or both subreddits!

The Free Spirits Podcast with David Gonzalez and myself just dropped episode 14 of season 2 with Boston Beer Company’s Head of Cannabis, Paul Weaver. Next week, we have a new episode dropping with Evan Eneman, CEO, Iconic Tonics will be our guest and it was a great conversation. So be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it.

If you could take the time to drop a review of the podcast or even just share it with a friend or two, it really does help us grow and continue to bring you this show.

You can find us on Youtube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!

Any comments or questions? Leave comment on this post or shoot me an email. Would love to hear from you!

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Any other questions or inquiries you can respond to this email or DM me on Twitter 

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THC Drinks Aren’t Replacing Alcohol: They’re Expanding the Fridge

Big thanks to both Sightlines and Brightfield Group for keeping this conversation grounded in data.

The alcohol industry has a habit of pointing at THC beverages as the culprit for declining beer, wine, and spirits sales. On the flip side, cannabis brands often position themselves as the “better” post-alcohol choice, hangover-free, lower-calorie, and healthier.

The reality? Neither narrative tells the full story.

Brightfield’s latest survey shows that hemp THC beverage consumers actually over-index as alcohol drinkers compared to the general population. Forty-two percent of the general population reported alcohol use in the past three months. Among hemp THC beverage drinkers, that number jumps to 55.7%. CBD beverage drinkers are right behind at 55.5%.

And it doesn’t stop there. These same consumers are more likely to reach for hard kombucha, cider, pre-mixed cocktails, NA beer, spirits, and wine. THC drinkers are not abandoning other categories, they’re adding THC drinks to an already diverse repertoire.

That’s an important distinction. This isn’t a zero-sum game where every sip of THC comes at alcohol’s expense. It’s a category expansion, not a clean replacement. Consumers are mixing and matching based on mood, occasion, and need state.

For brands, that changes the positioning playbook:

• Stop dunking on alcohol. Yes, THC drinks avoid hangovers and cut calories, but shaming alcohol isn’t a winning strategy. It risks alienating consumers who still drink (the majority) and frustrating potential distribution partners whose entire infrastructure was built on alcohol.

• Respect the overlap. Data from Brightfield and others makes it clear — alcohol drinkers are your consumers. You’re not convincing people to quit, you’re inviting them to broaden their options.

• Think coexistence, not conquest. Alcohol distributors represent the most powerful adult-beverage distribution network in the country. With beer sales softening, distributors want new growth vehicles. But they won’t jump at brands that undermine the very product that’s kept their trucks moving for decades.

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Position THC as a new lane, not an anti-alcohol crusade.

Early on, pent-up demand was enough to lift mediocre brands. That window has closed. Today, when a drinker can grab THC, NA beer, hard kombucha, or the rosé in their fridge, every touchpoint matters. Your story, your packaging, your education, your brand ethos — they all have to give consumers a reason to pick your can, not just any can.

The future of THC drinks doesn’t hinge on tearing alcohol down. It hinges on standing tall beside it, as a complementary choice in the ever-expanding adult beverage set.

Recent Free Spirits Podcast Episodes ICYMI