You may believe it is plain crazy talk, but soon for around $12 USD, you will be able to buy a new “soda pot” if you’ve been prescribed cannabis for medical purposes in the state of California. Oh yes, you will be able to drink your meds under brand names such as Canna Cola, Doc Weed and Orange Kush. The soft drinks contain THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Scott Riddell, the founder of Diavolo Brands, which is marketing Canna Cola says the THC dosage will be “somewhere between 35 to 65 milligrams.” said. THC levels in these products will be considerably lower than the levels of many drinks now on the market and he compares these highly regarded drinks to a “light beer” alongside high-proof liquors.

While cannabis for recreational use is illegal in all parts of the world, though decriminalized in some, its use as a medicine is legal in a number of territories, including Canada, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Israel, Italy, Finland, and Portugal. In the United States, federal law outlaws all cannabis use, while permission for medical cannabis varies among states. Distribution is usually done within a framework defined by local laws and medical cannabis remains a controversial issue worldwide.

The person tasked with developing these new brand names commercially is Clay Butler:

“I don’t do drugs. Even though, personally, I’m not interested and I don’t think it’s right for me, I’m a firm believer that adults have an inalienable right to think, eat, smoke, drink, ingest, decorate, dress any way they choose to do so. It’s your life; it’s your body.”

Butler has designed a line of soft drinks that he says will be branded to take advantage of an entirely new market. The line includes the flagship cola drink Canna Cola, the Dr. Pepper-like Doc Weed, the lemon-lime Sour Diesel, the grape-flavored Grape Ape and the orange-flavored Orange Kush.

Butler continues regarding his design for the product line:

“You look at all the marijuana products out there, and they are so mom-and-pop, hippie-dippy and rinky-dink. If someone can put every color on the rainbow on it, they do. If they can pick the most inappropriate and unreadable fonts, they will. And there’s marijuana leaves on everything. It’s a horrible cliché in the industry.”

Cannabis contains over 300 compounds. At least 66 of these are cannabinoids, which are the basis for medical and scientific use of cannabis. This presents the research problem of isolating the effect of specific compounds and taking account of the interaction of these compounds. Cannabinoids can serve as appetite stimulants, antiemetics, antispasmodics, and have some analgesic effects. Five important cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant are tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabinol, β-caryophyllene, and cannabigerol.

Source: Mercury News

Written By Sy Kraft, B.A.