Drinks infused with the psychoactive substance THC are now being sold by US retailer Total Wine & More in Minnesota, as a nationwide roll-out could also be planned.
Drinks brands being sold by the retailer have some products on their website that include 50mg of THC. One of the brands, Cantrip, contain 25mg and 50mg of THC per can in some of its sodas.
But campaigners have warned the drinks could be dangerous, especially for teenagers. Currently recreational marijuana use is legal in 24 states and there is no age federal age requirement on purchasing THC-infused drinks. This is despite a strict 21 age rule across the country for the purchasing of alcohol.
THC-infused drinks are different to CBD-infused drinks, which include the non-intoxicating compound cannabidiol, and have been available in the US for more than a decade, and more recently in the UK as well.
But former White House drug policy advisor Dr Kevin Sabet told the Mail that there was evidence THC was particularly dangerous for teenagers, and resulted in high rates of fatal traffic collisions.
Sabet said: “As the beverage alcohol industry expands into a new area of addiction-for-profit, this is only going to get worse.
“While Big Marijuana, Big Alcohol, and its Wall Street investors might see THC beverages as a way to rake in more profits, the public will pay a steep price and millions of Americans will experience pain and heartbreak.”
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