Companies that make cannabis-infused drinks are encouraging people to ditch booze for weed on 4/20 — the longstanding pot holiday, Jennifer writes.

Why it matters: More people are going "California Sober" — no alcohol or hard drugs, just marijuana, thank you — but the medical community is split over whether this is a good idea.

• The practice is known as "harm reduction," which involves swapping out your biggest demon for a smaller one.
• "We're saying, 'Drink this when you're socializing as a healthier alternative to alcohol,'" says Jake Bullock, the founder and CEO of Cann, which makes weed-infused seltzers.

Driving the news: THC drinks have become a product category for people who want a gentle buzz without smoking — and folks who struggle with alcohol use.

• 4/20 has become a big marketing hook. (4/20 is doper slang for marijuana, and has turned April 20 into a big, lit celebration.)
• There are now dozens of drinkable products on the market, with names like Happi, Cantrip, Cann, Boldt and Artet (which calls itself a "cannabis aperitif").
• They come in pretty cans and fruity flavors (like blood orange cardamom and grapefruit rosemary) that mimic the fun of boozy cocktails.
• Cann, for example, is running 4/20 promotions and hawking the benefits of cannabis over booze: No more "hangovers and texts to your ex."

What they're saying: "As a society, we drink our intoxicants," said Amanda Reiman, a harm reduction scholar and chief knowledge officer at New Frontier Data, a cannabis industry consultancy.

• "That's how we consume coffee; that's how we consume alcohol," she told Axios.
• "I foresee a day in the future where you go to a bar and your choices are caffeine, alcohol or cannabis."

Yes, but: Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs don't condone going "Cali Sober," and doctors are divided over it.

• "Too many people are still falling for this fad," Lantie Elisabeth Jorandby, chief medical officer at Lakeview Health in Jacksonville, Florida, writes in Psychology Today.
• Marijuana can damage the brain, particularly in young people.
• Some doctors say that if you're addicted to one substance, you're going to be addicted to any substance you try, and your only choice is abstinence.

The other side: "The phenomenon of being 'Cali sober' is taking the recovery world by storm," Peter Grinspoon, a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, writes for STAT.

• "It isn't cheating to use medicines or other substances to maintain recovery," says Grinspoon, who teaches at Harvard Medical School.

Where it stands: Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse — considered one of the nation's leading experts — takes a middle-ground stance.

• "Rigorous research on the potential risks, benefits and health effects of cannabis use is urgently needed," she said by email in response to questions from Axios.
• She noted "emerging evidence on the potential therapeutic uses of constituents of cannabis" as well as "an increase in the emergence of adverse health effects associated with cannabis."

Zoom out: While all cannabis businesses see 4/20 as a sales peg — for gummies, chocolate, smokables — it's the cannabis drink makers that are pushing hardest to reshape the stoner holiday.

• They want us to hoist a frosty can of ganja instead of suds — a trend that dovetails with Gen Z souring on alcohol.
• Each can has a low dose of THC — typically 2 mg to 10 mg — so you can pace your high once you learn your tolerance.

Zoom in: Customers of THC beverages tend to fall into three categories: Baby Boomers who want to quit drinking, parents who want to stay clear-headed, and young people who never started drinking in the first place, said Cann's Bullock.

• Among people with alcohol use disorder (the most accepted way to refer to alcoholism these days), people who quit 100% sometimes welcome help from THC drinks, gummies and/or smokes.
• Others use the drugs to pare their drinking back to normal levels.
• "The people Cann helps the most are really heavy alcohol drinkers," Bullock said.

The bottom line: While marijuana is an intoxicant, it's not potentially fatal like alcohol — and it's not associated with the same kind of violent behavior and sloppiness that's typically seen with booze.

Electric and plug-in vehicle registrations reached record levels last year in Washington state, Christine Clarridge writes for Axios Seattle, citing state data.

Why it matters: The Seattle region's adoption of EVs has far outpaced the nation's — and the state's experience may be a bellwether as the transition from combustion engines proceeds.

Driving the news: Washington saw a 43% jump in EV and plug-in registrations, from 118,050 in January 2023 to 168,850 by year-end, per the state Department of Ecology.

• It also saw the biggest increase in EV market share in 2023 of any state, according to a report by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

What's next: Washington state recently announced $85 million in grants to build 5,000 new charging stations.

Read more.

It may not be a tourist mecca, but the inland city of Lakeland, Florida, is the fastest-growing metro area in the country, writes Kathryn Varn of Axios Tampa Bay.

Why it matters: The country's top four fastest-growing metro areas over the past three years were all in the Sunshine State, according to U.S. census figures.

By the numbers: Lakeland's population grew 12.1% between 2020 and 2023, faster than any other U.S. metro area.

• It was followed by three other Florida towns — Port St. Lucie, Cape Coral and North Port.
• Provo, Utah, took the #5 spot, followed by Austin, Texas.
• Strikingly, the biggest population losers during that three-year period were Oakland, California; New York City; San Jose, California; Los Angeles; San Francisco and New Orleans.

What they're saying: "Lakeland, located about 45 minutes east of Tampa and an hour southwest of Orlando, is a Central Florida destination offering family-friendly fun," per Florida's tourism website.

Bonus: It's a magnet for Frank Lloyd Wright fans, who visit to tour the architect's work at Florida Southern College.

Keep reading.

The Sundance Institute is looking at other U.S. cities to host the iconic Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027, Kim Bojórquez writes for Axios Salt Lake City.

Why it matters: The event — which has called Utah home for the last four decades — brings money, glamour and tourism to the state, not to mention celebrities and filmmakers.

Driving the news: The institute said this week that it was gathering bids from interested cities through May 1.

• From there, the organization — a nonprofit — will then hear proposals from some of them.
• Its contract with Park City is up for renewal after the 2026 festival.

Yes, but: There's still a possibility the festival will stay in Utah.

Keep reading.