Nearly 1 in 6 Dry January participants will consume cannabis beverages instead

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Participation in Dry January is expected to increase this year, with 56% of respondents “at least somewhat likely” to abstain for the month, according to a survey of US alcohol drinkers by CivicScience. That’s up from 52% in 2024 and 54% in 2025.

Asked if they planned to substitute any beverages for alcohol for the month, it will come as no surprise that 17% said they’d opt for mocktails and 17% also said they’d opt for non-alcoholic beer. What may be less expected is that just as many—again, 17%—said they’d be consuming cannabis beverages (or other forms of cannabis) in lieu of booze.

Cannabis retailers are toasting the heightened business that they attribute to Dry January’s popularity:

• Leaflink, a software platform that serves the cannabis industry, told Retail Brew that January cannabis beverage sales among its retail partners were up 5.4% YoY in 2025, following even bigger YoY increases for the month in 2024 (7.4%), and 2023 (24.8%).
• Levia, a Massachusetts-based cannabis beverage brand, told Retail Brew that it consistently sees a 30% lift in sales during January.
• Elevated Roots, a chain of dispensaries in Massachusetts, reported that sales of cannabis beverages rose 27% in January of 2025 over the previous January.

James Stephens, co-founder of Sinful, a 6-year-old Montana-based cannabis beverage brand, told The Drinks Business that sales in January have had an average uptick of 18% over other months.

“Dry January can be dry with THC, because the impact and health concerns around cannabis are radically different from alcohol,” Stephens said. “THC beverages offer the social ritual and mild intoxication that people enjoy about drinking, without the toxic metabolic burden alcohol creates.”

Drinking outside the box: With the latest Dry January underway, cannabis beverage brands are promoting themselves as an alcohol alternative that promises something you can’t get from a Shirley Temple: a buzz.

Crescent Canna, which makes THC and CBD beverages and edibles, is offering a Dry January deal of $10 off orders of $40 or more.

On its website, Wynk, a brand of cannabis-infused seltzer, is promoting a “Dry January Bundle” of no fewer than 36 cans of flavored seltzer to stay high-drated for the month.

Cannabis beverage maker Upstate Elevator timed the launch of its first THC spirit-style beverage (for mixing cocktails), Añejo Lime THC Spirit, to coincide with Dry January, stating in an announcement that it “delivers a smooth, elevated experience designed to take your Dry January to new heights.”

For Dry January this year, Tilray Brands is promoting its cannabis beverage brands with the tagline, “No Drinks doesn’t mean no drinks.”

Blair MacNeil, president of Tilray Canada, put it less paradoxically in a press release. “Dry January isn’t about going without,” he said. “It’s about choosing better.”

In an email to Retail Brew, Sean O’Toole, public policy associate at LeafLink, also had an isn’t/is framing for the month.

“Dry January is not just a consumer trend in alcohol sales,” O’Toole wrote. “It’s a consistent seasonal influence reshaping behavior inside the cannabis category.”