“There are millions of people who are interested in cannabis, but don’t want to hang a Bob Marley poster on the wall.”
That line from Liam O’Dowd, co-founder of UK-based cannabis publication leafie, says everything about where weed is heading, and who’s finally paying attention.
leafie is the glossy magazine that shouldn’t work.
It’s about cannabis in a country where cannabis is technically still illegal. It’s print media in a digital-first world. And it launched during a time when sober curiosity was dominating the lifestyle pages.
But somehow, it’s doing exactly what its founders hoped: pulling cannabis out of the shadows and into the hands of people who don’t consider themselves stoners, but are very much curious, especially when alcohol starts to lose its edge.
From Wine O’Clock to Weed O’Clock
When we sat down with Liam O’Dowd for a conversation, the topic didn’t start with cannabis legislation or market stats. It started with wine.
“I used to drink during the week, easily a bottle of wine here or there,” he said. “Now I just don’t bother. If I’ve had a long day, or I’m sore from the gym, I’ll reach for my dry herb vaporiser. It helps me sleep better, recover faster, and I feel clearer the next day.”
It’s a shift more people are making, not necessarily to quit drinking entirely, but to cut back and feel better doing it. For those who still want to unwind, cannabis (CBD, or THC, depending on where its legal) offers a different kind of end to the day. One that doesn’t come with a hangover or sluggish morning.
There’s growing evidence to back this up.
Some studies in U.S. states like Colorado, Oregon, and Washington find that beer purchases drop after cannabis legalization, though effects on spirits and wine vary.
That’s not happening in the UK yet, but O’Dowd believes the shift is already underway, just not as publicly.
“There are so many people who are dabbling,” he said. “For example, parents who used to knock back three bottles of wine on a Friday night are now curious about CBD, or low-dose gummies. They’re not trying to become stoners. They just want to relax in a healthier way.”
Rather than a dramatic cultural overhaul, it’s a slow, personal recalibration. People aren’t ditching alcohol because of peer pressure or wellness trends. They’re doing it because they want to feel better and stay sharper.
The Great Sobriety Trade-Off
This gradual shift away from alcohol is part of a broader change in how people approach drinking. It’s less about abstinence and more about choosing what works for their life right now.
For some, that means exploring cannabis as an alternative. Not as a rebellious act, but as a conscious decision to swap out something that doesn’t serve them as well anymore.
“It’s not just people who’ve always used cannabis,” O’Dowd said. “It’s people in their forties and fifties with jobs, kids, and a lot on their plate. They’re saying, ‘I don’t want to drink a bottle of gin every weekend anymore, but I still want to unwind.’”
In some cases, that might mean a small THC gummy after dinner, or using a vapouriser instead of pouring a second or third glass of wine. The effects are lighter, easier to manage, and less likely to derail the following morning.
O’Dowd pointed out that this isn’t a fringe behaviour anymore. “There are millions of people in the UK who use cannabis for medical or wellness reasons but aren’t on a prescription,” he said. “They’re not buying it from a dispensary, but they’re using it all the same.”
In places like the US and Canada, where cannabis is legal and accessible, the drop in alcohol sales hasn’t just been anecdotal. It’s showing up in consumer data and market trends. Beer, spirits, and wine are all seeing reduced demand in areas with established cannabis markets.
The UK, for now, is still playing catch-up. But O’Dowd believes if legal access improves, we’ll see a noticeable drop in alcohol use here too. Not because people are giving up drinking altogether, but because they finally have a genuine alternative that fits their lifestyle.
From Lazy Stoner to Conscious Consumer
One of leafie’s biggest goals has been to change how people think about cannabis users. The idea that everyone who consumes weed is lazy, unmotivated, or checked out doesn’t hold up when you look at real people.
“It’s still the most common stereotype we hear,” O’Dowd said. “That if you smoke weed, you’re lazy. But I know plenty of people who use cannabis every day and are some of the most driven people I’ve ever met.”
It’s this mismatch between image and reality that leafie is working to address. The publication deliberately avoids the usual cannabis clichés. No oversized green leaves, no loud graphics, no references to stoner culture from the 90s. Instead, it focuses on design, journalism, and accessibility.
“We wanted to build something you could send to your nan,” O’Dowd said. “Something that feels trustworthy and clear, not something you’d be embarrassed to have on your coffee table.”
That strategy has helped leafie attract a wide range of readers. Some are already cannabis users, but many are simply curious. They’re not interested in learning how to roll a joint. They want to understand the health implications, learn about low-dose options, and feel confident trying something new.
And that’s where O’Dowd believes the biggest opportunity lies: not in marketing to heavy users, but in welcoming the millions of people who are open-minded but cautious.
“They don’t want to smoke something they bought off a stranger,” he said. “They want a low-dose drink they can sip on a Friday night. They want to know how it’s going to make them feel. They want to be informed.”
So… Will Weed Replace Wine?
It’s tempting to imagine a future where cannabis takes over from alcohol entirely, but O’Dowd is more measured about it.
“I think we’ll always be a country that likes a pint,” he said. “That’s not going away anytime soon. But if access to cannabis improves, people will drink less. Not everyone, but enough to make a difference.”
In the UK, drinking is still deeply embedded in social life. Whether it’s the pub after work or wine with dinner, alcohol is familiar, accessible, and accepted. Cannabis, by contrast, still carries legal and cultural baggage, even as medical use expands.
But what O’Dowd sees is a quiet shift already happening, especially among people who’ve never really identified with cannabis culture. The real growth, he says, isn’t in the people already rolling joints. It’s in the ones who don’t know how and don’t particularly want to learn. What they do want is a different kind of wind-down routine.
“There’s a huge middle ground,” he said. “People who are curious but cautious. They want something discreet, something low-dose, something that doesn’t make them feel out of control.”
That’s where the biggest opportunity lies, not in replacing alcohol outright, but in giving people other options. When that happens, alcohol becomes a choice, not a habit. And for a growing number of people, it’s a choice they’re making less often.
“We don’t need a cultural revolution,” O’Dowd said. “Just better access, better education, and better products. The demand is already there. People just need a safer, smarter way to say yes.”
So… Will Weed Replace Wine?
What’s happening in the dry economy isn’t necessarily loud or dramatic. It’s happening quietly, in households and conversations, in swapped-out Friday night routines and late-night Google searches about edibles.
Liam O’Dowd and the team at leafie aren’t trying to spark a revolution. They’re building something more sustainable: a space for curious, thoughtful people who want alternatives. People who aren’t looking to be high all the time, but who are looking to feel better, sleep better, and live with a bit more balance.
As access improves and attitudes shift, cannabis won’t replace alcohol completely — but it doesn’t have to. Sometimes it just needs to offer another option. And for more and more people, that option is starting to make a lot more sense.
Want to learn more about the future of cannabis and what it means for you?
Visit leafie here to browse their extensive archive of news and thought-pieces, and to pick up a copy of the magazine.