www.cheersonline.com
24
• January/February 2017
The national movement for legal cannabis has gained
signifi cant momentum. Marijuana becoming a legally
available ingredient for bars and restaurants may now be a
matter of when, not if.
Eight states now allow cannabis for recreational use:
Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts,
Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Twenty-one other
states permit marijuana for medicinal purposes.
That means that more than half the country has
legalized cannabis in some form. Denver even passed a city
ordinance this year that allows consumption of marijuana
edibles in bars and restaurants.
As more customers experiment with legal cannabis
and gain comfort and interest in the category, on-premise
operators will need to fi gure out where they fi t in and how
to tailor their beverage programs. That may mean offering
Marijuana compounds are making their way into mixed drinks
By Kyle Swartz
