How Cannabis-Infused Drinks are Hitting Shelves

The legalization of cannabis in Canada and parts of the US has resulted in the production of all sorts of marijuana-based products, among which are cannabis-infused drinks which are already hitting shelves.

In two of the US’ foremost pro-cannabis states of Utah and Colorado, New Age Beverages Corp has already inked a deal to make and supply cannabis-infused drinks.

FDA Requirements

The proponents of cannabis-infused drinks hope to spur the increased consumption of beer by the younger generation by providing them with better tasting drinks that come with fewer calories and hardly cause a hangover.

If anything, today’s drinkers are conscious of remaining in control of their sobriety and do not want their images in an inebriated state ending up all over Facebook or Instagram. That’s why people in their twenties aren’t interested in the age-old habit of alcohol drinking.

Enter non-alcoholic beer! Although cannabis-based, this beer is non-psychotropic, given that it is mainly made using CBD (cannabidiol), which hardly gives you a high’. Instead, the drink leaves you naturally relaxed.

The Colorado-based New Age Beverages Corp is already planning to release a drink known as Marley+CBD Mellow Mood. The drink will be available in 16-ounce cans with a mere 25 milligrams of CBD per serving. This is pharmaceutical grade CBD so you don’t have to worry about its quality.

For all CBD-based drinks, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content should be at most 0.3 percent in order to comply with FDA requirements.

Colorado

The popularity of CBD-based products has grown over the last few years mainly as a result of the legalization of industrial hemp in the US after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. That law effectively legalized CBD and its use in the production of edibles and drinks.

Where the drinks are THC-based, the dosage is done in just about five milligrams. The company behind the new THC-infused is Grainwave. Their drink is flavored just like normal beer with the “high” of THC making the difference.

THC in the beer is already in liquid form and is absorbed into the bloodstream faster than is possible from edibles and alcohol which take at least 15 minutes to start having an impact. Thus, it will be easier for you to limit the amount of cannabis-infused alcohol given how soon it begins to have an effect.

According to the rules set by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), companies are prohibited from making beer with alcohol as well as THC. As for the non-alcoholic drinks, they aren’t under TTB regulation but is under the ambit of state-controlled bodies such as the MED from Colorado.

Alcohol and THC

Even so, manufacturers of cannabis-infused drinks are working towards replacing alcohol with non-alcoholic drinks. Thus, they have no intention to mix THC with alcohol. To them, cannabis-infused drinks are healthier than alcohol and should be highly encouraged.

A good example is Two Roots Brewing Company, a San Diego-based firm which so far is selling THC-based beer in Nevada and California. The company executives say they have no intention of bringing to the market drinks containing both alcohol and THC.

Cannabis-Infused Drink

However, it’s not just the US where cannabis-infused drinks are redefining the beer market. In Canada, the wave has caught on given the nationwide legalization of cannabis production. As such, you can buy weed online Quebec. According to Canaccord Genuity Group estimates, cannabis-infused drinks are likely to surpass a market worth of $600 million by 2022 in the US alone.

The only problem with the existing cannabis-infused drinks is that they taste like a soap dish, urine or worse. Therefore, the manufacturers of these drinks have to grapple with finding ways to make their drinks palatable.

Strong weed like Shatter has a distinct aroma and flavor around which companies have to find a solution if they hope to bring to the market a drink that appeals to everyone. So as to mask the pungent smell, some companies have resorted to using taste enhancers, additives, and sugar. While this may work, it makes the drinks just unhealthy as the dormant calories prevalent in alcoholic drinks.

Given the expected influx of cannabis-infused drinks to the market later in 2019, it is expected that the companies would have found a solution to the taste issue by then. So far, research done on possible solutions has shown that it is possible to provide consumers with a decent cannabis-infused drink.

Author Bio –

Jessica has been closely studying the cannabis industry trends from quite some time. Intrigued by the booming growth of this sector, she takes interest in penning down her views providing quality insight on current marijuana trends, particularly medical cannabis.