BC companies in race to develop cannabis-infused beverages
With the arrival of Cannabis Day, Beer Me BC presents coverage related to the burgeoning recreational marijuana industry in Canada.
As soda and beer sales fall in North America and legal marijuana sales spike, soft drink makers and brewers are partnering with cannabis companies to expand their market horizons.
The trend has in turn spurred B.C.-based companies such as Tilray Inc. (Nasdaq:TLRY), Ascent Industries Corp. (CSE:ASNT), Emerald Health Therapeutics (CSE:EMH) and Chemesis International Inc. (CSE:CSI) to jump on the research bandwagon to improve technology for infusing drinks with active cannabis ingredients.
The result is that demand for infused drinks is likely to grow even as two main obstacles stand in the way of creating commercially viable cannabinoid-laced beverages. One problem is that many people do not like the taste of cannabinoids; the other is that cannabinoids are difficult to infuse into water-based drinks because they are oil-based in their purest form.
