"Fifteen years ago, early experiences with cannabis went something like this: a furtive glance over the shoulder while passing a joint in a parking lot, or a chaotic brownie experiment gone off the rails. Today, a "first time I tried THC" anecdote isn't likely to be remarkable at all. Maybe a friend hands you a hemp seltzer at a barbecue while children play in a bouncy house, or a bartender recommends you swap your normal martini order for a new THC mocktail."
"Drinks that get you high have existed in the US in some legal form for roughly 15 years. Keef Brands in Boulder, Colorado, was one of the first to emulsify cannabis into sodas in 2010, available in medical dispensaries four years before its home state launched recreational cannabis use. Since then, two dozen states have followed suit. More recently, hemp-derived THC drinks have become available in even more states thanks to the federal hemp loophole created by the 2018 Farm Bill."
"Generally, people don't use THC in quite the same way they use alcohol. They're more likely to smoke or take an edible to help them sleep or reduce pain, for example, while a glass of wine or beer tends to complement a meal or a way to unwind in a group. (The medical applications of THC partially explains its growing interest among older Americans.)"
THC-infused drinks have shifted cannabis consumption into mainstream social settings, appearing alongside alcohol at restaurants, grocery stores, bars, concerts, and backyard gatherings. Early cannabis use was often clandestine or experimental, but ready-to-drink hemp seltzers and THC mocktails normalize use across age groups. Keef Brands emulsified cannabis into sodas in 2010 and entered medical dispensaries before broader recreational legalization. The 2018 Farm Bill's hemp definition enabled wider distribution of hemp-derived THC products by allowing hemp with less than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight, which some manufacturers concentrated into psychoactive beverages. THC use often serves therapeutic purposes such as sleep and pain relief, differing from typical alcohol use.
Read at Bon Appetit
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