Coca-Cola is considering developing a line of cannabis-infused beverages, according to reports.
The company is in “serious talks” with Canadian producer Aurora Cannabis to create beverages containing cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, BNN Bloomberg says.
Sources told the Canadian business website that the product would be marketed as a recovery drink, designed to ease pain and inflammation, rather than one intended to get users high.
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Canada is set to become the first G7 nation to legalise recreational marijuana use next month, after years of permitting it for medicinal purposes.
The soft drink giant’s “possible foray into the marijuana sector comes as beverage makers are trying to add cannabis as a trendy ingredient while their traditional businesses slow,” says Bloomberg.
Last month, Corona beer brewer Constellation Brands Inc. announced a $3.8bn increase in its stake in Canadian marijuana producer Canopy Growth Corp. It follows beer giant Molson Coors Brewing’s decision to make cannabis-infused drinks with Hydrotherapy.
But a partnership between Coke and Aurora “would mark the first entry of a major manufacturer of non-alcoholic drinks into the market,” the BBC reports.
Responding to the report, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said the company is “closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world,” but added that “no decisions have been made” yet.
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