Coca Cola apparently wants to share a drink with the weed industry. According to BNN Bloomberg Television , Coke is in talks with Canada’s Aurora Cannabis to make the “pause that refreshes” more than just a blast of carbonated sugar. “We are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world,” Coca-Cola spokesman Kent Landers told Bloomberg. “The space is evolving quickly. No decisions have been made at this time.” Coke’s possible foray into the weed industry comes as beverage makers are looking to add a trendy new ingredient - cannabis - as they watch their traditional businesses slow down in the face of marijuana’s growing popularity and acceptance throughout the country. Last month, Corona beer brewer Constellation Brands announced it had invested $3.8 billion to increase its stake in Canada’s largest weed producer, Canopy Growth. Molson Coors Brewing Co. is starting a joint venture with Quebec’s Hydropothecary Corp. to develop cannabis drinks in Canada. Diageo PLC, maker of Guinness beer, is in discussions with at least three Canadian cannabis producers about a possible deal, Bloomberg reported last month. Then there is the New Belgium Brewery that released its Hemperor HPA in May 2018, not to be outdone by Lagunitas’ craft label - a non-alcoholic THC-beer infused beer. Discussions with Aurora are focused on CBD-infused drinks to ease inflammation, pain and cramping, according to the BNN Bloomberg report. Heather MacGregor, a spokeswoman for Aurora, Canada’s third-largest pot company, told BNN Bloomberg that they have a specific interest in the cannabis infused-beverage space. A partnership between Coke and Aurora would mark the first entry of a major manufacturer of non-alcoholic beverages into the market for cannabis-related products, noted Reuters , a space that up until now was “a hunting ground almost solely for the alcohol industry.”
