The rapid rise of the cannabis industry could cause trouble for the beer industry, according to the managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen, Vivien Azer. Azer has noticed a correlation between the rate of binge drinkers living in weed-friendly states. Not to mention, people with easy access to cannabis generally tend to drink less.

While this may be good news for the cannabis industry in the U.S., it could cause the beer industry to slowly crumble or at the very least, struggle.

“We view the interaction with alcohol as being the most obvious to us as we think of these products as substitute social lubricants,” the investment firm worker told CNBC.

Azer’s work specializes in the cannabis, tobacco and beverage sectors.

“Binge drinking rates, for instance, are significantly lower in states where adults have access to adult-use cannabis,” Azer disclosed during an interview with “Fast Money.”

Will cannabis industry sales outshine beer industry sales?

The cannabis industry in the United States is worth a whopping $50 billion at the current time and Azer estimates that it will explode to $75 billion by the year 2030.

“It’s just that a lot of it is going through the black market right now,” she expressed.

Over the course of the last 12 months, cannabis stocks (in general) have swelled.  A Canadian medical cannabis producer, known as Aurora Cannabis, boasted a 240 percent increase in shares in the last year. Another company, Cronos Group, reported a surprisingly close rise in shares during the same period.

Things are looking promising for Canopy Growth, too. The stock medical cannabis company’s shares rose by over 200 percent in the last year.

“The industry is gaining a lot of traction in terms of gaining consumer support,” Azer added.

Adult-use cannabis in the U.S. gains the highest level of support

A Gallup poll carried out in October 2017 saw 64 percent of adults in the U.S. support the legalization of adult-use cannabis. When compared to data gathered from recent years, this is the highest level of support that the cannabis industry in the U.S. has gained. Azer anticipates continuance for the trend. She has divulged how her firm remains determined, albeit wary, about beer stocks.

“About 80 percent of consumers do report some kind of reduction in alcohol consumption when they’re also engaging in cannabis consumption,” she said.

Some of the highest-performing cannabis stocks that Azer believes will outshine other cannabis stocks are Kush Bottles, MedReleaf and Canopy Growth.

Beer producers capitalize on the rise of cannabis

It seems that some people specializing in the beer industry are using the success of the cannabis industry in the U.S. to propel their businesses to new realms of victory. As the cannabis industry continues to gain traction, more breweries are experimenting with terpenes.

One such example is Dudes Breweria of Aurora, Colorado. This company has developed a cannabis-infused beer called General Washington’s Secret Stash IPA Brew. The product received its approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau last year.

Another brew, New Belgium’s The Hemperor HPA, is available countrywide, except Kansas. The chemical characteristics of hops and hemp are very similar, which is why they make such a good combination.

Time will tell whether or not this counteracts the growth in cannabis consumption and slump in beer consumption.