St. Patrick’s Day is a day of embracing Irish culture, and especially in New York City, the day has been synonymous with day drinking and green beer to wash down your corned beef and cabbage.

Though the popularity of drinking culture is still alive and well in the city, more people are starting to lean into cannabis use this past St. Patrick’s Day.

New York City resident Ariella Vaakil has been alcohol-free for a year. She told amNewYork Metro that rather than skip out on all the festivities, cannabis allows her to take part in the fun without the after-effects that alcohol can have on your body.

“Cannabis has just been so much better to me. I’m from California and it’s always just kind of been part of life there. So it’s been a lot easier to just not go crazy with it, and I feel like there’s this weird more control that I have, and I just feel a lot better and it’s a lot nicer, and I don’t have horrible anxiety the next day,” said Vaakil. “I’ve always preferred cannabis to drinking, and then when I finally stopped drinking, I just realized that it was so much better.”

Given that this year’s St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Monday, keeping in mind that you have to work the next day can factor into your plans. Josh Wilson, General Manager at Culture House, a licensed dispensary in Midtown, told amNewYork Metro that going the cannabis route has the potential to be a more responsible way to celebrate.

“I could drink like a fish personally, but I know I’m gonna feel the repercussions of my actions the next day and with St. Patrick’s Day on a Monday, people will be back to work tomorrow if not already working today,” said Wilson. “I can have a responsible time, smoke a couple of joints, maybe take an edible or two, and I’m not going to wake up and have to call out. But if I went out drinking tonight, did a beer run at a bunch of pubs, Lord knows I might be hating myself and calling out the next day.”

“The past week has just been one long St. Patrick’s Day, and [my friends and I] went out for a happy hour after work and I don’t drink. The bar that we chose, across the street there was a dispensary. It had been a long work day, so I said, you know what, you guys go drink, I’ll get a pre-roll, and then I can come and meet you guys,” said Vaakil. “While everyone was able to have that light buzz drinking after work, I was able to have my own light buzz.”

Beyond the impact on the body, Vaakil noted that investing in cannabis is kinder in the long run to her wallet. 

“I’m not afraid to spend a little bit more on weed, because I know it’s gonna last longer, it’s gonna work better, versus with alcohol, I could be having top shelf, and I would have no idea truly how my night was gonna go,” said Vaakil. “Going out this weekend and celebrating, I was able to take an edible instead, and I could still feel like I was included and I was with everybody, but I wasn’t drinking and I was saving a lot more money.”

Recreational cannabis use in New York became legal in 2021, which Wilson says may contribute to why the industry is seeing an uptick in sales, not just around St. Patrick’s Day, but during other holiday seasons as well. Since the legalization, 327 adult-use dispensaries have opened across the state.

“It’s a little bit more appealing just because now it’s a little bit less taboo, if you will. It’s legal now, right, so people don’t have that thought of, ‘oh I don’t want to do something illegal.’ They feel like the accessibility is a little bit more there,” said Wilson. “So, I feel like whereas a lot of people might have been like closet smokers, now they can be a little bit more wide with their practices of how they create inebriation for themselves.”

That said, it doesn’t necessarily have to be about giving up alcohol in favor of cannabis — there’s room to responsibly consume.

“I feel like it’s not necessarily always trading one out for the other. I think a lot of people are working this hand in hand and saying hey, look, now I can save some money at the bar. I’m gonna have a couple of drinks just in the spirit of the holiday, but I’m gonna finish my night off with a little bit of cannabis,” said Wilson.