For some of us, a hot cup of coffee is the ideal morning pick-me-up. For others, weed does the job.

Although Starbucks is quite the mega-retailer known for delicious and overpriced beverages, cannabis is starting to outsell the mermaid coffee brand.

It’s pretty hard to believe that there are more cannabis users than Starbucks coffee drinkers in the United States, but the sales numbers don’t lie.

According to MJBizDaily, legal recreational cannabis sales in the United States reached $24.5 billion in 2021. That same year, medical marijuana brought in $27 billion. Starbucks only raked in $20.5 billion.

So, not only did both recreational and medical sales outpace Starbucks, but when combined, they doubled the coffee brand’s sales.

It’s even more surprising to believe that a federally illegal drug is pulling in more money than an iconic company like Starbucks.

There are a few reasons cannabis is outselling the giant coffee brand.

For one thing, most of us were struggling throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our mental health went through the wringer. For that reason, people began looking at cannabis as a substance that’s beneficial for both good times and bad.

When you’re down in the dumps, cannabis can get you back on your feet. And when you’re on your feet, why not make those times even better with weed?

Throughout the pandemic, cannabis consumers proved that weed is essential, and this is especially true for medicinal patients.

Additionally, there’s more than just one reason why people use cannabis.

We all drink coffee for the same reasons, to wake up and satisfy our cravings. But cannabis can be used to

• Treat mental illness
• Relieve physical conditions
• Enhance social settings
• Meditate and reflect
• Lift the mood
• And many other reasons

With these explanations in mind, it’s starting to make sense why legal U.S. cannabis is outselling the world’s largest coffee retailer. And what does that tell us?

The cannabis industry will never stop growing. If it’s already pulling in over $40 billion while still being illegal, we can only imagine the economic gains once federal legalization takes place.