From wine glass to weed gummies

Is drinking vs cannabis a generational divide?

For many years, people marked the end of the day by opening a bottle or dropping ice into a glass. Now, for a growing number o Canadians, it’s the soft chew of a fruity-flavoured gummy, a puff of weed, or the pop and hiss of a cannabis beverage being opened.

The Cannabis Act in Canada allowed legal sales of dried and fresh cannabis, oil, plants, and seeds in 2018. A year later, the act also included cannabis topicals, edibles, and extracts.

The potency of different cannabis products varies, and the consumption method influences how rapidly users experience the effects. All legal cannabis products must follow strict labelling and packaging rules, including THC content and health warnings. (THC is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis responsible for the “high.”) The government says this helps to ensure the quality and strength of products.

For many users, there is a growing interest in cannabis for perceived better wellness, sleep quality, and mental health.

Hangover avoidance and better productivity the day after imbibing are also reasons people are shifting to cannabis. Some say it’s perceived as cleaner and less toxic than alcohol. There is also the rise of “California sober” or moderation culture. “California sober” (or “Cali sober”) is a slang term for a form of sobriety that involves abstaining from “hard” drugs and alcohol while continuing to use marijuana, and sometimes, psychedelics. They consider it a harm reduction approach that permits the use of substances deemed safer or less harmful instead of committing to total abstinence.

Seventy-six-year-old Cindy Hughes* of Lindsay says the beginning of her recreational cannabis use was during university in the 1970s and 80s. It was common among her peers, despite being illegal at the time. After completing her education, she discontinued its use until the 1990s when MP Alan Rock’s government established medical marijuana research at the University of Toronto, reigniting her interest in cannabis for legitimate medical purposes.

Hughes’ primary motivation for cannabis use now is pain management related to trauma injuries, including being hit by a car. She holds a prescription for Tylenol-3 but finds it ineffective. “It’s like a groin injury, and it affects my colon as well, so everything kind of goes into spasms. Opioids make that worse.”

A former educator, she uses cannabis flower (dried bud) which she purchases from local dispensaries in Lindsay. She uses cannabis on an as-needed basis rather than daily, preferring to remain active and avoid feeling overly sedated.

Hughes specifically seeks sativa strains, which she understands provide more energizing effects compared to indica strains that promote relaxation. She rolls small joints. “I would light it and inhale — like one inhalation. And that’s enough. That’ll take care of it.”

Regarding edibles, Hughes has experimented with cannabis oil without success and expresses concerns about liver metabolism effects, drawing parallels to Tylenol-related liver damage.

She plans to try low-dose gummies but remains cautious about long-term liver health implications. She values the immediate onset and controllable dosing of inhaled cannabis compared to edibles’ delayed and unpredictable effects.

Another local senior, 67-year-old Vickie Smithhurst*, tried alcohol at 14 and liked it. “I used to steal booze from my parents and then fill up the bottles with water. So they got watered down booze—as if they couldn’t tell,” she chuckled. Her initial encounter with cannabis in college at 18 was not a good one. “I got too high the first time. I was scared.”

Eventually, she used cannabis for pain control, relaxation, and for the social aspect. Years ago, Smithhurst, her spouse, and another couple grew their own. Now, “it’s too easy to just purchase it.”

She and her friends considered getting licensed to open a cannabis business, but the requirements were “too rich for their budget.”

“As a caregiver, there are the times I use pot to escape,” adds Smithhurst, whose parent is over 90, has dementia and lives with her. “It’s getting harder everyday. My heart breaks just a little more, watching my mom disappear.”

The Kawartha Lakes resident doesn’t like the taste of cannabis and prefers to vape flavoured cartridge varieties. She has used edibles and enjoys the flavours available. While Smithhurst enjoys cannabis for many reasons, she won’t soon be giving up liquor. “ I like the various tastes of alcohol.”

Lucas Margulis isn’t surprised by the number of seniors partaking in cannabis use. He is the founder and president of High Bar Hospitality, a cannabis bar service company based in Toronto. It provides coast-to-coast cannabis bar services for private events, including weddings and bachelor parties, and has provided cannabis bars for events in Kawartha Lakes.

“When we do social events like weddings and so forth, they (the seniors) are at a bar the most —lining up all night.”

Some suggest seniors stopped smoking cannabis in their younger years and want to revisit the product, while others were initially put off by the strong smell and unknown strength and are now curious about modern cannabis joints, mocktails and edibles.

The company serves cannabis in one-milligram doses, significantly lower than the 10-milligram standard for retail cannabis beverages, allowing guests to control their tolerance and avoid overconsumption.

Addressing concerns about second-hand exposure, Margulis clarified that most cannabis consumption at events involves beverages rather than smoking. When smoking occurs, it follows all smoking bylaws and takes place outdoors. The company provides odourless glass containers called “dube tubes” to contain pre-rolls, ensuring no cannabis smell enters the venue when guests return from smoking breaks.

They place the lids on the tubes and keep the cannabis for later use. Margulis’ event staff are SmartServe certified, even though they are not serving alcohol. “We want to assess if someone’s intoxicated under alcohol as well, so that we can cut them off. It’s just about responsible consumption.”

The entrepreneur notes only two venues out of thousands still refuse their services because of outdated “don’t ask, don’t tell” policies. He argued that denying professional cannabis services actually increases venue liability, as 20-30 per cent of guests bring their own cannabis anyway, often unregulated black market products with mould, pesticides, and unpredictable THC levels. His company holds $5 million in liability insurance and shows up with all relevant paperwork if asked by law enforcement or municipalities’ bylaw officers.

While the two cannabis users above are in the senior category, it’s not seniors overall who are making pot usage spike – that would be Gen Z and young Millennials. This cohort dominates cannabis use in Canada, according to the 2024 Canadian Cannabis Survey. (This contrasts with Gen X and Boomers who use far less.)

Twenty-eight-year-old Tiffany Abbey*, a Gen Z/Millennial cusp hairstylist, has been putting ideas together for her wedding. While there are many bridal decisions needed, one she is sure of is including a cannabis bar. “Absolutely the smoking kind, the eating kind, and the drinking kind — all three.”

Abbey’s early exposure to alcohol came through family celebrations where beer drinking was common. When she first tried alcohol around age 16, she experienced negative effects including nausea, feeling “thick,” and unpleasant hangovers that would disrupt her days. She also began experimenting with cannabis at the same age, initially smoking it since edibles weren’t readily available at the time. High school dealers provided her early cannabis experiences because legalization was not yet in effect.

The Lindsay resident cites her decision to stop drinking alcohol because of its negative impact on her mental health and exacerbation of anxiety. She also says the high cost of bar drinking, poor sleep quality, and the association of alcohol use with harder drugs like cocaine in social circles didn’t align with her values.

According to Statistics Canada’s latest numbers, alcohol sales in Canada just saw the largest annual drop since tracking began. Sales declined for the fourth straight year in 2024-25. The agency says ciders and coolers were the only categories to grow, while spirits, wine, and beer fell in volume and sales.

Abbey says her preference for smoking over edibles, is because of unpredictable duration and delayed onset of edibles. She consumes cannabis daily after work responsibilities are complete, typically smoking half to a whole joint. She says the primary benefits for her include relaxation, ritual comfort, and help in managing her ADHD symptoms. Cannabis helps her hyperactive brain wind down and transition from work stress to home relaxation.

After being close to and touching people all day, she sometimes gets “peopled out.” 

“It helps me disconnect from whatever happened at work.” She says it can enhance intimate, physical experiences through increased relaxation and heightened sensations. The downside? It can make a user’s mouth dry.

Abbey thinks her generation has more access to information and are health conscious as the reasons they are giving up alcohol and turning to cannabis. “We’re more aware of what alcohol long-term does to our bodies, we’re more aware of the cancer risk.”

While Abbey believes she is a light cannabis smoker, she emphasizes the need for balanced information about its use. She knows a few people who ended up with Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome, a serious medical condition resulting from heavy daily use that can cause severe nausea, vomiting, electrolyte imbalances, and potentially kidney failure. One person she knows ended up requiring hospitalization.

According to a new study about users who partake in a non-problematic way from the University of Montreal, as a rule researchers found that non-problematic cannabis users are women who consume only occasionally, in a social context and as they consume alcohol. The study authors note there are risks, but they are not universal.

Abbey also advocates for purchasing from legal, regulated sources rather than street dealers due to safety concerns. 

Robert Brunsch agrees with Abbey’s purchasing sentiment. He is the general manager at the Sparkq Retail Group of cannabis stores, including one in Lindsay.

He explained CBD products are popular among customers seeking non-psychoactive benefits, with some purchasing only topical products or CBD-only items. He notes many customers choose cannabis beverages over alcohol because they offer a low-calorie, low-carb alternative without the alcohol hangovers.

Brunsch says the changing social dynamics around cannabis consumption is that it is becoming less stigmatized and more socially acceptable. “I think the biggest driving factor of the switchover is exposure and the stigma slowly being eroded and societal norms changing.”

He notes Gen Z has grown up around cannabis being legal, whereas pre-legalization, everybody had to go to “that guy” in a parking lot or to their house, or wherever it might be. “Very much that clandestine feeling. Back-alley dealings, if you will.”

You are not imagining cannabis shops are ubiquitous. As of June 2025, there were 3,761 legal recreational storefronts across Canada, according to various sources. Ontario accounts for about 48 per cent of all licensed cannabis stores in Canada according to Strattcan. Brunsch says he thinks the government set up the store openings following a free market approach. “The idea, I believe, was eventually the market will dictate how many stores in a given area it can support.” He said a lot of operators saw it as a “bit of a gold rush” and that they were going to make a lot of money. “Sadly, that has not been the case.”

He notes with market saturation, pretty much all retail stores across the province are fighting for smaller pieces of the same pie. “However, as different regions start to level out and stores are shuttered, stores that remain will benefit from increased traffic.”

None of this matters to Lindsay’s Gary Miller*. He will never darken the door of a cannabis establishment as a dedicated beer drinker. The idea of drawing smoke into his mouth and nose has always been unappealing to him, as he has never smoked. He appreciates the social acceptability and ease of ordering beer in public settings, contrasting this with lingering stigmas he associates with cannabis use, despite its legalization.

The 67-year-old semi-retired beer imbiber says pot was around growing up, but it didn’t interest him. He saw his uncles drinking beer and thought it looked kind of neat. “Once I turned of age, I tried it. It took a long time before I liked it.” 

Miller has had surgeries and suffers from regular pain. His coworkers have suggested cannabis to mitigate his discomfort. He says after surgery he would not accept any pharmaceuticals for pain. “I’ve chosen not to, because I’ve always felt you can get through the pain faster and better if you

don’t take any kind of outside stimulant.”

As a drinker of one or two beers a day, he feels Canada’s guidance on alcohol recommendations of one or two alcoholic drinks per week is an overreach.

“You’ve got to have vice in life — as long as it does not become addictive.”

Cautionary statistics:

Since cannabis legalization in Canada in 2018, several long term studies have emerged. Longitudinal research points to potential mental health impacts: a 2021 meta analysis of prospective studies found that cannabis use is associated with about a 25 per cent increase in the odds of developing an anxiety disorder. Reports from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction and Health Canada further link regular, long term cannabis use to cognitive difficulties and an elevated risk of psychotic symptoms or disorders, particularly when use begins in adolescence or involves frequent or high THC products.

* Names have been changed for anonymity.