from the Also-boosting-snack-food-market dept.
Coca-Cola says it's monitoring the nascent industry and is interested in drinks infused with CBD -- the non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that treats pain but doesn't get you high. The Atlanta-based soft drinks maker is in talks with Canadian marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis to develop the beverages, according to a report from BNN Bloomberg Television.
"We are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world," Coca-Cola spokesman Kent Landers said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg News.
Related Stories
Marlboro owner Altria invests $1.8 billion in cannabis company Cronos
Altria hopes pot is the key to help it grow beyond its stagnant cigarette business. Tobacco giant Altira is investing $1.8 billion in Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group. That will give Altria a 45% stake in the company, with an option for Altria to increase its stake to 55% over the next five years. Reports of an Altria-Cronos deal first surfaced earlier this week. The decision by Altria to go ahead with an investment in Cronos shows that Altria is serious about investing in marijuana as a new growth area as sales of traditional cigarettes slow. Altria's stock has fallen nearly 25% this year and the company is expected to report revenue growth of only about 1% this year and in 2019.
[...] Cronos and other cannabis stocks have been thrust into the spotlight in the past few months following the legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada in October, as well as legalized recreational and medical pot in several US states last month. With Democrats winning control of the US House, Congress may finally pass the Farm Bill, which would make it legal to produce hemp and potentially open the door for more products containing cannabidiol, or CBD. Many alcoholic beverage, tobacco and other consumer products companies may want to bet on cannabis. Canadian marijuana company Canopy Growth (CGC) already has received a multibillion dollar investment from Corona owner Constellation Brands (STZ). Coca-Cola (KO) was rumored to be considering an investment in Canadian cannabis company Aurora (ACB). [...] Coke's archrival Pepsi (PEP) hasn't completely ruled out a move into cannabis.
Altria's Canadian Pot Bet Is Really About the U.S.
It's official: Big Tobacco is now a player in the cannabis market. That will change the game.
Previously: Another Major Beermaker is Looking at Ways to Enter the Cannabis Business
Coca-Cola Is Eyeing the Cannabis Market
Peter Thiel's Cannabis Company Was Briefly Worth More Than Twitter
Cannabis Becomes Legal in Canada
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @09:59PM
Well...
(Score: 4, Interesting) by takyon on Monday September 17 2018, @10:03PM (3 children)
Health craze! Oh yeah, CBD [wikipedia.org] in a can sounds great... nah, gimme THC with a little bit of coca-colaine instead.
2021: Marley Beverage Company [drinkmarley.com] devastated by Coca Cola's new line of CBD-infused wellness beverages!!!
The more interesting part of the story is the big money [npr.org] being spent by beer companies to break into the Cannadian canabis industry. How many of these companies spent money fighting cannabis legalization [theintercept.com]?
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article215413410.html [miamiherald.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday September 17 2018, @10:19PM
If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em?
This sig for rent.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday September 18 2018, @05:59PM (1 child)
So, a half-pound of sugar with some weed in it, then?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday September 18 2018, @06:26PM
Maybe a little CO2 as well.
What about a carbonated diet option? Unsweetened sparkling water [usatoday.com]... fortified with
THCCBD.[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday September 17 2018, @10:10PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol [wikipedia.org]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @10:39PM (3 children)
Put cocaine back in, bring back the original Coke. It's the real thing.
(Score: 1) by petecox on Tuesday September 18 2018, @01:43AM
Coca leaves became too expensive under President Evo Morales, so they're switching to pot?!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @03:47PM (1 child)
Cocaine? Do you have any idea what effects it has on your mental health?
There are no legitimate uses for cocaine, it's a terrible poison. So please, do go on and take some.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday September 18 2018, @06:27PM
And yet the U.S. drug warriors have it on Schedule II rather than Schedule I. Guess it has some legitimate uses after all.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Monday September 17 2018, @10:42PM
The absurd claim that cannabis has no medicinal properties no longer holds up in the court of public opinion. However, the drug warrior types refuse to concede defeat to the dopers, especially the black and Hispanic dopers, which would eliminate a lucrative revenue stream for them. And in addition, the DEA probably has enough dirt on enough members of Congress to ensure that full legalization doesn't happen anytime soon.
So as best as I can tell the current federal plan on cannabis looks like:
1. Keep the cannabis plant illegal for everybody except specially licensed growers who probably get that license by cozying up to the right federal officials.
2. Consolidate retail distribution of the medically active ingredient into a few favored corporations, who probably also get the right to do that by cozying up to the right federal officials.
3. Turn to the public and say "Look, everybody, we legalized pot for medical purposes, so we're all good now, right? Come on, hippies and libertarians, you should be on our side!"
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by MostCynical on Monday September 17 2018, @10:54PM (6 children)
So Coca Cola executives may have problems at the border?
https://www.thestar.com/news/cannabis/2018/09/13/canadians-who-smoke-marijuana-legally-or-work-or-invest-in-the-industry-will-be-barred-from-the-us-customs-and-border-protection-official.html [thestar.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday September 17 2018, @11:01PM
A little money can make problems go away.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @11:02PM (3 children)
Good, maybe nobody will be able to work there pretty soon.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday September 17 2018, @11:38PM (2 children)
Canada, or the US?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @02:20AM (1 child)
Yes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @04:17AM
+1 Positive Attitude
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @04:48AM
Forget the executives; they can buy their way across the border. Think of the poor schlubs who deliver Coke products to the grocery and convenience store. Think of the grocery and convenience store staff. By twisted US logic, they would all be living off the profits of drug trafficking for stocking and selling Coke products [wikipedia.org].
Is your kid sipping a Minute Maid juice box? You're funding drug dealers.
Heck, Coca Cola is a huge sponsor of the Olympic games, so the IOC will have to either switch to Pepsi or accept that the US sees them as supporting drug dealers on a massive scale. The games could never be hosted in the US again because no one would be allowed to attend.
The US is shooting themselves in the foot by adamantly refusing to acknowledge that marijuana has medical benefits. Reality casts a harsh light and the cockroaches are scurrying madly to avoid it.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @11:10PM (3 children)
Never stopped them from using it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @11:28PM (1 child)
Anyone who doubts this should get a 24 oz coffee and drink within 10 mins on an empty stomach. If you don't notice any changes to your mental state then you must have some rare genetic sequence.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday September 17 2018, @11:59PM
This is a good one for testing. [caffeineinformer.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @04:32PM
caffeine makes me psychotic if i drink too much. i can't handle coffee anymore. it makes me start getting pissed about everything. if i keep drinking i get paranoid and skiddish.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @12:06AM (5 children)
Coca-Jointla , Coca-juana, Coca-potla.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @04:24AM
RTFS. Where you're dreaming of THC Cola, they're contemplating CBD Cola.
(Score: 2) by Aiwendil on Tuesday September 18 2018, @07:49AM (3 children)
Jane-cola, Mary-Cola, Coca-joint, Coca-canna, Coca-cab, Coca-CBD, Coca-nol, Coca-Sat.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @09:12AM (2 children)
Since "Coca" part comes from the coca leaf (cocaine), and the "Cola" part comes from the Kola nuts (caffeine), shouldn't the "Coca" part be the one that changes? Or are they also removing caffeine?
My suggestion: Canna-Cola.
(Score: 2) by Aiwendil on Tuesday September 18 2018, @09:45AM
If it made sense or sticking to history - yes (hency why I started with two -cola)
However "cola" today also refers to caramelized sugar in terms of taste, and "coca-" is the part that coca-cola sticks with (probably to avoid confusion with pepsi cola and "colas" in general).
Personally I'd really want a coca-cocoa (now _that_ would be a drink to get you started in the morning), but I hate travel and will not visit south america just for a good drink :)
(Score: 3, Touché) by takyon on Tuesday September 18 2018, @12:49PM
Canola.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @01:36AM (2 children)
At least they're not trying to make a drink that glows in the dark, due to additive Strontium 90.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @04:23AM (1 child)
DIY [google.com]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by c0lo on Tuesday September 18 2018, @05:28AM
Use strontium aluminate doped with Eu2+ [wikipedia.org] for phosphorescence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday September 18 2018, @05:21AM (1 child)
For Canadian marijuana investors, coming to U.S. is a ‘crapshoot’ that can end in lifetime ban [marketwatch.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 18 2018, @02:23PM
It works both ways too. Canada is said to ban Americans from entry that have had decades old misdemeanor convictions.