Business
10 best weed drinks of 2022
The landscape of weed drinks is growing and evolving rapidly, with tons of new products pouring into cannabis markets around the country. The Ultimate Spirits Challenge, one of the most acclaimed beverage competitions in the US, saw multiple cannabis drink entries, and some scored quite high next to their alcoholic counterparts.
When rounding up the standouts of the weed drinks available today, there’s a mix of sodas, seltzers, cocktails, tea, and mixers that come in both THC and CBD options.
Here are 10 of the best tasting — and feeling — weed drinks to try in 2022.
Good Feels seltzers
Taking cannabis seltzer to the next level, Good Feels checks all the boxes: attractive glass bottle, tasty flavors, low-dose, fast-acting CBD and THC, plus contemporary company values like fair wages and carbon neutrality.
The flavors come in blood orange, grapefruit, raspberry apple, and black cherry. Each bottle contains 5 milligrams of both THC and CBD, leading to a potentially balanced, chill vibe designed to take effect quickly. Each bottle typically retails for around $7.
Available: Massachusetts
Klaus infused cocktails
Klaus, a canned cannabis cocktail, is crafted for flavor chasers by mixologist Warren Bobrow. The intense flavor of their THC drink is absolutely cocktail-like and ideal to serve over ice, though you can enjoy it straight from the can as well. The tart, tangy, and ginger flavors would likely appeal to those who usually order margaritas or daiquiris. With 10 milligrams of THC in each can, it was fast-acting and provided me with a potent — but not overwhelming — high. Currently available in one flavor, the Mezzrole, with two more flavors coming soon, each $12 can is priced like a craft cocktail.
You can find Klaus cocktails at two Solful locations in Northern California: Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. So if you’re in Sonoma County, be sure to check them out.
Available: Northern California
Cann seltzers
Still one of the best weed drinks available, this trailblazing company is going strong and featuring new seasonal flavors alongside their classic THC drinks. Somewhere between a seltzer and a cocktail, the not-too-sweet varieties like lemon lavender or seasonal ginger lemongrass are easy to love.
The cans come in two sizes: the traditional 8oz with 2 milligrams of THC and 4 milligrams of CBD, and the 12oz Hi Boy with 5 milligrams of THC. Cann is available in 4-packs for around $25.
Available: California, Nevada, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island
Good Stuff infused lemonade mixers
The lemonade concentrates from Good Stuff are as versatile as they are delicious. Bonus points for the dark glass bottle, which keeps well in the fridge for longer shelf life, and the cap doubles as a microdose measurement of 2 milligrams per capful.
These formulations taste good at any concentration, allowing ultimate customization to your needs. Personally, my favorite is the indica strawberry lemonade. I add a few capfuls of it to a liter of water and sip on it for a steady micro-dose alongside my daily hydration. The mix is absolutely delicious, making it equally good as a shot, over ice, or mixed into seltzer as a social drink.
Each bottle costs around $20 and comes with a total of 100 milligrams of fast-acting THC and varying amounts of CBD depending on the flavor.
Available: California
Lagunitas Hi-Fi Sessions
Lagunitas, a beer brand founded in 1993, has always had a close connection to cannabis. And in 2017, the founders made that connection official by partnering with AbsoluteXtracts, a Northern California cannabis brand known for its full-spectrum vape cartridges. Together, Lagunitas and ABX have made one of the most refreshing weed drinks on the market. And don’t just take our word for it. The Hoppy Chill flavor won first place at the 2022 Emerald Cup Awards.
The Hi-Fi Sessions weed drinks are made with water-soluble THC and CBD for a potentially fast-acting high. The flavor is light and citrusy with a background of hops that makes for a unique sipping experience. They come in three doses: a 10mg THC formulation, a balanced 5:5 mg CBD:THC option, and a low-dose 2:2mg CBD:THC variety. All three options have zero calories or carbs.
Available: California and Colorado
Artet aperitif
Mixing drinks is an extension of cooking and creativity in the kitchen, something that should be available to anyone whether or not they indulge in alcohol. Considering how dreadful non-alcoholic spirits can be, this product is especially impressive, offering a flavorful and balanced mixer that is the perfect stand-in.
The Artet aperitif is herbal with complex and balanced notes. My go-to mixer is a double dose (5 milligrams of THC) of Artet, a small bottle of Q Mediterranean or Cucumber Tonic, and three dashes of Angostura bitters — all poured over two large ice cubes. I like it even better than a traditional gin and tonic. This infused beverage costs around $45 for a 750ml bottle and contains a total of 37.5 milligrams of THC.
Available: California
Keef infused sodas
There are certain meals or occasions that call for a classic cold soda, and it’s a bonus to have a little cannabis mixed into it. The flavors of Keef sodas are classic and nostalgic with subtle notes of cannabis — the orange soda is particularly delicious.
While these may be dangerous for those who drink a lot of soda, they’re still fun to keep around to indulge in once in a while. The recreational version has 10 milligrams of THC and CBD per can for around $5, and the medical versions are available with 50 milligrams or 100 milligrams of THC per can for around $15 each.
Available: Arizona, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Maine, Missouri, Puerto Rico, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan
Ceria infused “beers”
This category of “cannabis beer” offers huge potential for growth, bringing a tasty replacement for beer drinkers who aren’t served by the typical infused seltzers, sodas, and cocktails. Beer alternatives are difficult to produce from a flavor perspective. Still, the two flavors from Ceria are solid: Grainwave, a lighter ale with notes of coriander and citrus, and Indiewave, a richer IPA with sweet, malty notes.
Keeping in step with the flavor profiles and how they would typically be offered with lower and higher alcohol levels, the lighter ale has 5 milligrams of THC in each can, and the IPA has 10 milligrams of THC.
The brand new packaging reinforces the contemporary craft brew status of the beverages while paying homage to Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain. These completely alcohol-free brews come in around $8 per can.
Available: California and Colorado
Day One CBD sparkling water
Day One CBD seltzers come in classic flavors with crisp carbonation and clean citrus notes. It offers everything you could want in a cold seltzer, and it’s easy to grab on the go or throw into a cooler alongside regular soda and beer.
Each $3 can contains 20 milligrams of broad-spectrum, hemp-derived CBD extract. For me, the CBD took the edge off of physical and mental pressure and offered chill vibes for social gatherings.
Available: Nationwide
Willie’s Remedy infused tea
Form and function are harmoniously matched in this line of infused teas. Well suited for a morning routine or ritual, the tea won’t over-extract, even if you leave it to steep for a long time. It also makes a nice iced tea for warm weather.
Including a daily cup of Willie’s Remedy also makes it easy to get a regular dose of CBD. The teabags themselves are high quality, made without any dyes or chemicals, and are biodegradable. Each bag contains around 12.5 milligrams of full-spectrum hemp-derived CBD, organically grown. They’re available for $26 for a tin of 16 tea bags.
Available: Nationwide
Source: https://weedmaps.com/news/2022/06/best-weed-drinks-2022/
New Mexico regulators fined a cannabis operator nearly $300,000 and revoked its license after the company allegedly created fake reports in the state’s traceability software.
The New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) accused marijuana manufacturer and retailer Golden Roots of 11 violations, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Golden Roots operates the The Cannabis Revolution Dispensary.
The majority of the violations are related to the Albuquerque company’s improper use of BioTrack, which has been New Mexico’s track-and-trace vendor since 2015.
The CCD alleges Golden Roots reported marijuana production only two months after it had received its vertically integrated license, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Because cannabis takes longer than two months to be cultivated, the CCD was suspicious of the report.
After inspecting the company’s premises, the CCD alleged Golden Roots reported cultivation, transportation and sales in BioTrack but wasn’t able to provide officers who inspected the site evidence that the operator was cultivating cannabis.
In April, the CCD revoked Golden Roots’ license and issued a $10,000 fine, according to the news outlet.
The company requested a hearing, which the regulator scheduled for Sept. 1.
At the hearing, the CCD testified that the company’s dried-cannabis weights in BioTrack were suspicious because they didn’t seem to accurately reflect how much weight marijuana loses as it dries.
Company employees also poorly accounted for why they were making adjustments in the system of up to 24 pounds of cannabis, making comments such as “bad” or “mistake” in the software, Albuquerque Business First reported.
Golden Roots was fined $298,972.05 – the amount regulators allege the company made selling products that weren’t properly accounted for in BioTrack.
The CCD has been cracking down on cannabis operators accused of selling products procured from out-of-state or not grown legally:
- Regulators alleged in August that Albuquerque dispensary Sawmill Sweet Leaf sold out-of-state products and didn’t have a license for extraction.
- Paradise Exotics Distro lost its license in July after regulators alleged the company sold products made in California.
Golden Roots was the first alleged rulebreaker in New Mexico to be asked to pay a large fine.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/new-mexico-cannabis-operator-fined-loses-license-for-alleged-biotrack-fraud/
Four marijuana companies, including a multistate operator, have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in which they allege the federal MJ prohibition under the Controlled Substances Act is no longer constitutional.
According to the complaint, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, retailer Canna Provisions, Treevit delivery service CEO Gyasi Sellers, cultivator Wiseacre Farm and MSO Verano Holdings Corp. are all harmed by “the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on cultivating, manufacturing, distributing, or possessing intrastate marijuana.”
Verano is headquartered in Chicago but has operations in Massachusetts; the other three operators are based in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the “Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional as applied to the intrastate cultivation, manufacture, possession, and distribution of marijuana pursuant to state law.”
The companies want the case to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
They hired prominent law firm Boies Schiller Flexner to represent them.
The New York-based firm’s principal is David Boies, whose former clients include Microsoft, former presidential candidate Al Gore and Elizabeth Holmes’ disgraced startup Theranos.
Similar challenges to the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) have failed.
One such challenge led to a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2005.
In Gonzalez vs. Raich, the highest court in the United States ruled in a 6-3 decision that the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution gave Congress the power to outlaw marijuana federally, even though state laws allow the cultivation and sale of cannabis.
In the 18 years since that ruling, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized adult-use marijuana and the federal government has allowed a multibillion-dollar cannabis industry to thrive.
Since both Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice, currently headed by Garland, have declined to intervene in state-licensed marijuana markets, the key facts that led to the Supreme Court’s 2005 ruling “no longer apply,” Boies said in a statement Thursday.
“The Supreme Court has since made clear that the federal government lacks the authority to regulate purely intrastate commerce,” Boies said.
“Moreover, the facts on which those precedents are based are no longer true.”
Verano President Darren Weiss said in a statement the company is “prepared to bring this case all the way to the Supreme Court in order to align federal law with how Congress has acted for years.”
While the Biden administration’s push to reschedule marijuana would help solve marijuana operators’ federal tax woes, neither rescheduling nor modest Congressional reforms such as the SAFER Banking Act “solve the fundamental issue,” Weiss added.
“The application of the CSA to lawful state-run cannabis business is an unconstitutional overreach on state sovereignty that has led to decades of harm, failed businesses, lost jobs, and unsafe working conditions.”
Alabama regulators are targeting Dec. 1 to award the first batch of medical cannabis business licenses after the agency’s first two attempts were scrapped because of scoring errors and litigation.
The first licenses will be awarded to individual cultivators, delivery providers, processors, dispensaries and state testing labs, according to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC).
Then, on Dec. 12, the AMCC will award licenses for vertically integrated operations, a designation set primarily for multistate operators.
Licenses are expected to be handed out 28 days after they have been awarded, so MMJ production could begin in early January, according to the Alabama Daily News.
That means MMJ products could be available for patients around early March, an AMCC spokesperson told the media outlet.
Regulators initially awarded 21 business licenses in June, only to void them after applicants alleged inconsistencies with how the applications were scored.
Then, in August, the state awarded 24 different licenses – 19 went to June recipients – only to reverse themselves again and scratch those licenses after spurned applicants filed lawsuits.
A state judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Chicago-based MSO Verano Holdings Corp., but another lawsuit is pending.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/alabama-plans-to-award-medical-cannabis-licenses-dec-1/
New Mexico cannabis operator fined, loses license for alleged BioTrack fraud
Marijuana companies suing US attorney general in federal prohibition challenge
Alabama to make another attempt Dec. 1 to award medical cannabis licenses
Pot Odor Does Not Justify Probable Cause for Vehicle Searches, Minnesota Court Affirms
New Mexico cannabis operator fined, loses license for alleged BioTrack fraud
Alabama to make another attempt Dec. 1 to award medical cannabis licenses
-
Business1 year agoPot Odor Does Not Justify Probable Cause for Vehicle Searches, Minnesota Court Affirms
-
Business1 year agoNew Mexico cannabis operator fined, loses license for alleged BioTrack fraud
-
Business1 year agoAlabama to make another attempt Dec. 1 to award medical cannabis licenses
-
Business1 year agoWashington State Pays Out $9.4 Million in Refunds Relating to Drug Convictions
-
Business1 year agoMarijuana companies suing US attorney general in federal prohibition challenge
-
Business1 year agoLegal Marijuana Handed A Nothing Burger From NY State
-
Business1 year agoCan Cannabis Help Seasonal Depression
-
Blogs1 year agoCannabis Art Is Flourishing On Etsy