"Priced at $5 to $7 a can, some are fruit-flavored seltzers while others mimic cocktails. "This one is the Mary Jane Mule," says Nathan Wilkinson, as he puts a can in his shopping basket. "So that's kind of clever, but it's a Moscow mule. It tastes like ginger beer, you can have it with a little bit of lime and put it on ice.""
"Wilkinson, who's in his late 40s, says he's been increasingly mindful about his alcohol intake. A few weeks ago, he decided to try a THC drink, as a non-alcoholic option that also promises a bit of relaxation. Today, he's buying a few beers along with THC drinks. "I have never used weed, so this is sort of a nice entry point for me," Wilkinson says. "I wouldn't have normally tried this, but because of the way it's being marketed, I'm up for it.""
"The transaction is unremarkable except for a key detail: Virginia law forbids the sale of cannabis products. But selling THC drinks is legal in dozens of states if the active ingredient comes from hemp, as defined by the Farm Bill of 2018, creating legal cover that spawned a new market. That market is buzzing, but that boom may come crashing down soon, thanks to a new law."
Hemp-derived THC drinks appear on retail shelves in many states in dozens of flavors, often with low THC doses and marketing that mimics alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages. Consumers seeking nonalcoholic relaxation or reduced alcohol intake are sampling THC seltzers and cocktail-style cans priced around $5–$7. Retail sales rely on the 2018 Farm Bill definition of hemp that permits hemp-derived THC products despite cannabis prohibitions in some states. Recent congressional action attached a one-year deadline to close that hemp loophole by imposing new restrictions. The proposed change threatens a broader hemp market estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars.
Read at www.npr.org
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