THC beverages are quickly growing in popularity, estimated to become a $4 billion industry in three short years.
Action News Jax Investigates learned the buzz behind the beverages comes with a mix of confidence, controversy, and concern.
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We were able to stop by an ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in St. Johns to check out drinks infused with THC. There was a large variety of drinks and flavors. The drinks also noted they contained zero alcohol. In fact, many THC beverages are marketed as an alternative to alcohol.
Gina Collins is the Chief Marketing Officer for cannabis company Trulieve.
“We are seeing for the first time, at least in my lifetime, younger generations move away from alcohol. And so with that, I think that the THC beverage space is filling that gap,” Collins said.
In February, Trulieve launched its own beverage line called Onward, made with THC and CBD.
“People are looking for a more functional way to unwind that meets their health and wellness goals at the same time,” Collins said.
The drinks we found at ABC contain “hemp-derived” Delta-9 THC. Delta-9 THC is the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis plants that makes you feel “high” or relaxed.
The 2018 federal Farm Bill defined hemp as any part of the cannabis plants with less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight.
While the FDA has not approved THC or CBD to be added to food or sold as dietary supplements, the Farm Bill legalized hemp and products made from it. That led to a surge of THC products and beverages hitting the market.
Ellen Snelling is the Hillsborough County Anti Drug Alliance Board Chair.
“All of these hemp products, they’re THC to me. This whole hemp industry with the intoxicating cannabinoids, it seems like it’s a backdoor to recreational legalization,” Snelling said.
Snelling has spent years pushing Florida lawmakers to crack down.
“I would rather see all of these products, honestly, under the medical marijuana system because it’s well-regulated, everything’s tested in a lab, we feel much more confident of what these products are,” Snelling said.
Recent hemp regulation bills in the Florida House and Senate that included putting caps on the amount of THC allowed in drinks and restrictions on where it could be sold, didn’t make it out of session.
Another concern: colorful packaging and fruity flavors possibly appealing to kids.
Dr. Dawn Sollee is director of the Florida Poison Information Center and says her team has taken calls about children drinking THC beverages.
“They might get wobbly, they would be uncoordinated, they might fall, things like that. If they happen to get into some of the other products or drink more of them, then we start worrying about, especially in children, that it can even progress to seizures,” Sollee said.
Sollee said her agency does not pick sides in the THC debate. Instead, their focus is on educating the public to make sure adults are storing and consuming products responsibly.
“The main goal is try and keep it out of their reach. And the other thing is with adults, when they’re using a product, a child, a lot of times they’ll try and imitate them. So if they see you drinking the product, that’s going to make them want to go and drink it too. So if you can, try and not consume the product in front of them,” Sollee said.
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Manufacturers recommend adults who want to try THC-infused drinks start with a low dose and pace themselves. That’s because the milligrams of THC per serving can vary between products and the effects can kick in anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple of hours.
“The key is patience and learning for yourself. ‘Cause it really will impact everyone differently, and it’s a personal choice of where you want the balance to be,” Collins said.
“It’s such a new product, there’s not enough research on it. People don’t know what to expect, but it can have adverse effects, especially on your, like I said, your heart rate and impairment levels and possibly mental health effects,” Snelling said.
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In this new frontier of adult beverages, it’s up to customers to get informed and determine if they want to skip or sip.
“Make sure that they’re researching the products, know where the, what the ingredients are, where they’re coming from, and really sticking to that mindset of I’m gonna do, I’m gonna educate myself and learn how my body reacts to this,” Collins said.
Collins said Trulieve uses a third-party lab to batch test its products and posts those results online. In the meantime, Snelling is amping up her education of parents and teachers when it comes to THC drinks and plans to keep fighting for tougher laws in Florida.
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