Hemp-derived THC drinks have surged in popularity as alcohol consumption continues to drop nationwide. The beverages remain federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, though some states have begun regulating (or outright banning) them. Despite the legal patchwork, mainstream retailers are jumping in, and one convenience store giant is preparing to take weed drinks nationwide.
Circle K plans to stock hemp-based beverages in up to 3,000 stores across the U.S. next year, according to MJBizDaily. The chain has partnered with Horticulture Co., the company behind Viola’s Iverson THC sodas, a collaboration with NBA legend Allen Iverson.
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The rollout will begin in the Carolinas and Florida before expanding to Circle K stores nationwide. The company has already been testing THC beverage sales in Georgia.
The partnership marks a major milestone for the THC beverage category, and another sign that cannabis is going mainstream.
“It’s about as close to a national rollout as the industry has seen to date – and the largest in scale by any chain retailer,” Saf Sadiq, CEO of Horticulture Co., told MJBizDaily.
The Circle K deal comes on the heels of major big-box retailer Target announcing a pilot program to sell THC-infused drinks at select locations in Minnesota. Prominent liquor stores like Total Wine entered the cannabis beverage market in late 2023.
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Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are pushing to rein in the intoxicating hemp market. Retailers, however, appear largely unfazed, even as a nationwide THC drink ban looms as a possibility. Jonathan Miller, general counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, told GreenState the recent retail developments may help influence policy.
“These developments demonstrate the strong popular demand for hemp products across all demographic groups, and should lend strong support to our efforts to block a potential hemp ban in Congress,” Miller said.
The mainstream embrace of hemp beverages underscores cannabis’s growing acceptance — at least in drinkable form. As more Americans trade alcohol for THC-infused options, seltzers and sodas are emerging as the clear favorite. With more than $1 billion in sales in 2024, the cannabis drink craze shows no signs of sobering up.
