With the future of THC-infused beverages hard to predict, it’s more reason to live in the present.
That was one of the messages that emerged from a panel discussion on the state of the cannabis beverage industry at BevNET Live in June, featuring Theory Wellness CEO Brandon Pollock; Craig Lewis, CEO of Flyers Cocktail Co.; and Jennifer Cabrera, who leads the Cannabis Law group at A.Y. Strauss. Brands playing in the nascent category will need to stay nimble as, with federal oversight unlikely to arrive soon, individual states will control their respective markets “for the foreseeable future,” Cabrera noted.
“The market is moving faster than the states have the ability to regulate it,” said Lewis. “We’re helping by working with all the states to create concrete frameworks, or at least minimum viable regulations, to be able to then legally and legitimately sell this product on a state-by-state level.”
Watch the full presentation to hear how Lewis and Pollock have strategized scaling around the unstable legal environment, how their brands are establishing a playbook for success in retail channels, the long-term viability of D2C sales and where the industry goes from here.