Arizona Beverage Co.is partnering with a legal cannabis company to manufacture and sell Arizona-branded products, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Arizona announced on Tuesday a licensing deal with the Denver-based Dixie Brands, which makes and sells drinks, chocolates, gummies and topical creams infused with marijuana.
“You’ve got to be willing to try things,” said Don Vultaggio, chairman of Arizona Beverages, in a press release. “The upside is we’re one of the first ones in an emerging space.”
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Under the partnership, Dixie will manufacture and distribute products branded with Arizona’s name throughout six legal cannabis states, and will be sold through licensed dispensaries.
Their well-known tall cans of iced tea is a major staple throughout convenience stores and gas stations, making Arizona one of the first major consumer companies to enter the cannabis market.
Alcoholic beverage companies, including Corona brewer Constellation Brands Inc. and Coors Light brewer Molson Coors Brewing Co., are developing THC-infused drinks in Canada, but won’t appear in the U.S. until cannabis is legalized on the federal level.
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“The cannabis market is an important emerging category, and we’ve maintained our independence as a private business to be positioned to lead and seize generation-defining opportunities exactly like this one,”added Vultaggio. “The cannabis category is an ideal space to bring the flavor and fun of Arizona into new and exciting products.”
Oscar Pascual is the editor of Smell the Truth, syndicated on GreenState and SFGATE. Smell The Truth is one of the internet’s most popular destinations for cannabis-related news and culture. This blog is not written or edited by Hearst. The authors are solely responsible for the content.