The Atlanta-based world leader in beverage sales could soon add cannabis to its list of ingredients for certain products, specifically CBD.
BNN Bloomberg reported this week that Coca-Cola Co. says it is keeping an eye on the legal cannabis industry and is considering its options for producing drinks infused with cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-intoxicating chemical found in cannabis and hemp that is believed to have numerous health and therapeutic properties.
According to BNN, the world’s largest soft drink company is in talks with Canadian cannabis producer Aurora Cannabis to develop the products, which could add to Coca-Cola’s growing list of alternatives to its sugary namesake beverage.
Coca-Cola spokesman Kent Landers told Bloomberg News in a statement, “We are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world…The space is evolving quickly. No decisions have been made at this time.”
Cannabis experts have pointed out that CBD is not, in fact, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid chemical, given its ability to help many users find relief from anxiety or depression (or otherwise to relax), and is best described as “non-intoxicating.”
Coca-Cola is only one of many beverage-makers to explore entering the cannabis space in recent months.
As Bloomberg reported, Corona beer parent company Constellation Brands Inc. announced this summer that it will increase its stake in Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth Corp. by $3.8 billion, while Molson Coors Brewing Co., Heineken NV, and Diageo PLC, which makes Guinness beer, are also in talks with cannabis companies over potential weed sips.
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