By Sumathi Reddy

Walk into a beverage store in many states and there is a newer product jockeying for space with the beer, wine and hard liquor: Meet the cannabis drink.

Yes, you can drink your weed now. And a growing wariness of the health effects of alcohol is driving more consumers to try these newfangled libations. The drinks typically contain THC. Others contain CBD, or a mix of the two.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive component of marijuana. It's what gives you a high. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is another cannabinoid, or component of the cannabis plant, but it doesn't produce a high.

Of course, THC is still considered an illegal drug by the federal government with a potential for abuse. So there's a lot we don't know about it due to a lack of research. Still, researchers say it's reasonable to conclude the impact and health risks of THC in a drink are likely similar to that in other ingested forms such as edibles.

And some scientists say the process used in drinks to improve the absorption of the THC and make its onset quicker might have the potential to make its effect stronger. Also, THC drinks can contain more than one serving, raising the risk of consuming more than you intend. There are also concerns that selling THC drinks outside of dispensaries is making the drug more accessible and less regulated.

But for people seeking an alternative to alcohol, which has been linked to numerous cancers, the drinks may fill a niche.

"I think people are leaning into them because they want options that are different from alcohol that allow them to feel relaxed and a little bit altered," says Staci Gruber, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass.

That's what drew Monika Casey, an actress in Los Angeles who drinks low-dose THC drinks. She says she believes that they're healthier than alcohol, and they don't wreck her sleep or leave her with a hangover. "It's great, they're like zero to 30 calories, they're gluten free and organic, and they even taste a little bit like a cocktail," says Casey.

The loophole

First, why can we find these drinks on some liquor-store shelves, even in states where the recreational and medical use of marijuana isn't allowed?

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp-derived products with small concentrations of THC -- no more than 0.3% in dry weight. This created a loophole allowing the sale of cannabis products even in states where THC isn't legal.

Companies have interpreted the bill to make drinks with less than 0.3% THC by volume, which can be enough to get high. The bill also made it possible for people to get such products outside of dispensaries.

So how long does it take for a THC drink to affect you? It's somewhere between a joint and an edible.

On average people feel the effects of the drinks within 20 to 30 minutes, reaching a peak in 45 minutes to an hour, says Tory R. Spindle, assistant professor in the behavioral-pharmacology research unit at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is testing the effects of different formulations of THC in about 40 participants who consume THC in either a gummy, brownie or drink.

"People feel the effect about twice as soon when they take the drink versus the same dose taken in the form of a gummy or a brownie," he says. For a brownie or gummy, effects typically aren't felt until about an hour later with peak effects reached two to three hours after ingestion.

The new ABV

To find how much THC you're consuming, check the label on the can or bottle. While labeling laws aren't uniform, most products list the amount of THC in milligrams -- similar to how Alcohol by Volume $(ABV.AU)$ indicates alcohol content.

There's no limit on the amount of THC allowed in a beverage, but many states consider a standard dose to be 5 milligrams, though Colorado defines one edible dose as 10 milligrams. There are 12-ounce seltzer drinks with 30 milligrams of THC and two ounce fast-acting shots containing a whopping 100 milligrams.

Consumers seem to prefer the stronger stuff. The global THC seltzer market was worth at $344.7 million in 2023 and is projected to grow to about $2 billion by 2030.

Dave Briggs, a 48-year-old podcast host in Westport, Conn., says he started regularly drinking THC beverages about two years ago. He drinks cans with 10 milligrams of THC and he'll have one or two at a time. "When I got to be about 45 like a lot of people, the hangovers hurt," he says. He still drinks alcohol socially since it's the only option when out at restaurants and bars.

Doctors and scientists say if you haven't had THC before, taking five milligrams at once is a lot. "If you're a novice and you don't necessarily have any experience with these things, it's really best to start with a little bit, wait a while and see how you feel," says Gruber.

Her advice: Start low and go slow. Read the label so you know how many servings you're drinking. Space out drinks to allow time for the effects to kick in. Also, allow for enough time if you need to drive or do something that requires attention and coordination later.

Is it healthier?

For those of you opting for CBD drinks to avoid a high, a new study raised a red flag. It found that in acidic conditions, CBD can convert into THC. So theoretically people drinking a CBD drink could inadvertently also be ingesting THC though it remains unclear how much is converted.

What about drinking a THC seltzer followed by, say, a beer? When you combine weed with alcohol, the effects are exponentially worse, says Matthew Hill, a neuroscientist at Hotchkiss Brain Institute at University of Calgary in Canada.

What about the health risks overall? Drinking or eating THC has slightly less risk than smoking or vaping because you aren't exposing your lungs to smoke, he says.

That doesn't make it healthy. "The health risks of THC are going to be the same no matter how you consume, because THC is THC," Hill says.

Such risks include impaired judgment, attention span and coordination, and raising the risk of car accidents, falls, and injuries. Long-term use can also lead to significant mental-health issues and addiction. And THC can lead some people to experience short-term psychosis, anxiety and an elevated heart rate.

And if you think drinking your THC with a meal makes it less potent, you're wrong. Unlike alcohol, THC drinks have more of a punch if you drink them with food. "If you have a meal and then you take an edible, you're going to feel stronger effects," says Spindle.

Write to Sumathi Reddy at Sumathi.Reddy@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 03, 2025 09:00 ET (13:00 GMT)

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