Coca-Cola Eyes Cannabis Oil Market

Sept. 18, 2018 — Could your can of Coke one day come infused with cannabis oil?

It’s a distinct possibility, following reports that the beverage giant is talking with a Canadian cannabis company about creating a wellness drink that would contain cannabidiol (CBD). The oil is the part of marijuana that does not produce a high, but it is believed to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.

Marijuana will become legal across all of Canada on Oct. 17, and cannabis companies have flocked to that country recently to raise money and start businesses there, according to the Associated Press.

While Coca-Cola Co. would not confirm the report, it did say it is eyeing that potentially new segment of the drink market, the AP reported.

“Along with many others in the beverage industry, we are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world. The space is evolving quickly,” Coke spokesman Kent Landerstold the wire service.

Coke’s interest signals the growing acceptance of cannabis by established companies, and of the importance of Canada to the development of those businesses, the wire service said.

Constellation Brands, a giant spirits company that makes Corona beer, recently bought a multibillion-dollar minority stake in Canopy Growth, a Canadian medical marijuana producer, the AP.