• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

The Legal Marijuana Market Is Catching Up to Beer and Wine

By
Erin Corbett
Erin Corbett
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Erin Corbett
Erin Corbett
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 22, 2018, 2:05 PM ET

The legal marijuana market is booming in the U.S., and is catching up to beer and wine sales, Business Insider reports.

“The legal cannabis category [in the U.S.] is set to grow at a 17% CAGR over the next decade to as much as $47 billion in annual sales (this compares to the current diaper category at $4 billion in sales),” RBC Capital Markets analyst Nik Modi wrote in the company’s note to clients sent out on Wednesday.

The growth in sales is mostly thanks to recreational marijuana use, and specifically products such as edibles and concentrates. RBC estimates suggest that in the U.S. alone, illegal and legal marijuana sales amounted to $50 billion, compared to wine at $65 billion, cigarettes at $77 billion, and beer at $117 billion.

Recreational marijuana has been legalized in nine states so far, with four more states adding it to the ballot this November; and medical marijuana is legal in 30 states and Washington, D.C.

Sign up: Click here to subscribe to the Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

“We believe further US decriminalization of cannabis including for recreational use is very likely over time,” RBC said, according to Business Insider. “It ultimately starts with US voters who across demographics are supportive of cannabis legalization.”

Anti-marijuana laws were introduced in the early 1900s, targeting Mexican migrants and Mexican Americans in the Southwest and Midwest, according to the Drug Policy Alliance. Later, in the 1980s, marijuana prohibition became a federal initiative, and as prohibition increased, so did incarceration. Between 1980 and 1997, the number of people incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses jumped from 50,000 to more than 400,000.

Today, 57% of people behind bars for a drug offense are black or Latino, and the U.S. spends over $50 billion annually fueling the war on drugs.

As the marijuana economy grows, legislation in favor of decriminalization has also become more popular. Support for legalization has reached a record high, with 64% of Americans in favor, according to a Gallup poll.

About the Author
By Erin Corbett
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

EnergyOil
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical choke point for global energy markets, but there are ways to get around it
By Jason MaMarch 2, 2026
4 hours ago
trump
Economynational debt
Interest on the $38.8 trillion national debt has tripled since 2020, and it already costs taxpayers more than defense and Medicaid
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 2, 2026
4 hours ago
trump
Middle EastMiddle East
Trump’s strikes on Iran could cost American economy as much as $210 billion, top budget expert says
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 2, 2026
5 hours ago
OpenAI logo is seen in this photo illustration with the South Korean flag in the background
AIOpenAI
‘Could it kill someone?’ A Seoul woman allegedly used ChatGPT to carry out two murders in South Korean motels
By Catherina GioinoMarch 2, 2026
5 hours ago
Commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf
EnergyIran
Energy markets offer ‘relatively small reaction’ to Iran war, but prices could spike if oil and gas aren’t flowing by the end of the week
By Jordan BlumMarch 2, 2026
5 hours ago
A woman stands with her hand on her hip as she pumps gas into her car.
EnergyOil
Oil markets are bracing for $100 barrels and a redux of a 1970s-era crisis but ‘three times the scale,’ analyst warns
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 2, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Middle East
U.S. military gives Iran a taste of its own medicine with cheap copycat Shahed drones, while concern shifts to munitions supply in extended conflict
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
MacKenzie Scott's close relationship with Toni Morrison long before Amazon put Scott on the path to give more than $1 billion to HBCUs
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Your grandparents are the reason the U.S. isn't in a recession right now. That won't last forever
By Eleanor PringleMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
American schools weren’t broken until Silicon Valley used a lie to convince them they were—now reading and math scores are plummeting
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Gen Z men are eating ‘boy kibble,’ the human equivalent to dog food, to load up on protein cheaply
By Jake AngeloMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Slack cofounder says workers and CEOs can get stuck doing 'fake' work like pre-meetings and slideshows
By Emma BurleighMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.