Total Wine & More has launched a range of drinks infused with the powerful psychoactive substance THC, which is found in cannabis.
The company, which has 260 stores nationwide, is the first major U.S. retailer to start selling drinks containing the part of the cannabis plant that causes a high feeling: THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol.
The drinks have launched at three locations in Minnesota, in Burnsville, Chatassen and Minnetonka, but there may be plans to roll them out nationwide.
Some of the beverage brands it sells advertise products on their websites that contain 50 mg of THC – more than you’ll find in some joints – and experts warn that the substance could have even greater psychological effects if ingested.
Campaigners have warned that the drinks are “dangerous and addictive” and could increase the risk of catastrophic car accidents involving teenagers.
Total Wine & More has launched a line of THC-containing drinks at three stores in Minnesota (pictured), a move that was celebrated by legalization advocates.
“In states where THC drug products are already ‘legal,’ there have been more cases of drivers testing positive for THC in fatal traffic accidents and a higher rate of teenagers driving under the influence of THC,” said Dr . Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy adviser and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), told .
“As the beverage alcohol industry moves into a new area of for-profit addiction, the situation will only get worse.”
“While major marijuana and alcohol companies and their Wall Street investors may see THC drinks as a way to rake in more profits, the public will pay a heavy price and millions of Americans will experience pain and heartbreak.”
In August, exclusively revealed that the USDA was considering aligning its alcohol advisory with Canada’s and advising Americans to drink just two drinks per week.
However, recreational use of marijuana is legal in 24 states, and there is no legal age limit for purchasing drinks containing THC.
However, many states have laws that require customers to be over 21 years old.
However, younger people often still have access to the drinks if an older friend or family member buys them for them.
According to the CDC, about 37 percent of high school students report using marijuana.
As legalization expands, cannabis-infused mocktails, seltzers and non-alcoholic wines are populating the market, sold as a healthier high and supposedly hangover-free and without the calories of alcohol.
They are not the same as CBD-infused drinks, which contain small doses of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating compound found in marijuana and hemp, which have been available in the states since 2010.
Common brands include Cann and Keef.
Some studies show that (CBD) can make you feel more relaxed and that it can affect mood and appetite.
Marijuana drinks, on the other hand, are made with THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis.
There is no standard dose of THC in cannabis-infused beverages and the amount varies depending on the product and manufacturer.
Some THC drinks marketed as “low dose” contain between 2 and 4 mg of THC per 8-ounce container, while other products can contain up to 200 mg of THC per bottle.
Cantrip’s drinks, now sold at Total Wines, contain 25 mg of THC per can. A typical joint contains between 40 and 200 mg of THC.
Total Wine and More, which has 260 superstores across the US, will now offer a selection of drinks containing THC – the psychoactive component of cannabis
Doctors worry that the high from these drinks can be unpredictable and potentially more intense than a joint.
While studies on THC drinks are lacking, experts believe they are processed by the body in a similar way to edibles like weed gummies.
When you smoke cannabis, THC is absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to the brain within minutes. However, when ingested, the chemical is first processed by the liver – where it triggers the production of another substance that has five times more powerful effects on the brain.
THC acts on cannabinoid receptors and is thought to increase the risk of psychosis by disrupting the normal function of the part of the brain that processes information and dictates behavior.
Dr. James MacKillop, director of the Michael G. DeGroote Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at McMaster University, previously told The New York Times that the effects of THC drinks need to be studied more widely.