Target Now Selling THC Drinks In Select Minnesota Stores

Some Target locations in Minnesota have soft-launched the sale of beverages
containing hemp-derived THC, Marijuana Moment reports.

The retail giant is offering a dozen different THC beverages at 10
Minnesota locations. The beverage brands include Birdie, Cann, Gigli, Hi
Seltzer, Indeed, Señorita, Stigma, Surly, Trail Magic, Wonder, Wyld and
Wynk.

Intoxicating hemp products spread rapidly following the passage of the 2018
Farm Bill, which created a new definition of “hemp” that proponents believe
legalized products containing synthesized and hemp-derived intoxicating
cannabinoids within a certain threshold. The DEA has maintained that
intoxicating THC variations derived from hemp are still illegal, though
federal enforcement has been rare. While these products have proliferated
without accompanying regulations, many states have opted to pass
restrictions or bans on the products. Minnesota passed its hemp policy in
2022, opting for regulations covering hemp product sales, packaging, and
testing requirements.

Jason Dayton, the co-founder of Trail Magic, said in the report that
Target’s decision is “monumental,” and called it “a moment that shows that
regulation work.”

“I think all of us, collectively, would say we want more regulation — not
less. We want age-gating, we want testing, we want all of the rules of the
road that have allowed the alcohol industry to become a $250 billion a year
category, with everything included: Countless jobs and tax revenue
associated with that.” — Dayton, via Marijuana Moment

Meanwhile, some federal lawmakers have argued that the language of the 2018
Farm Bill contains a “loophole” that mistakenly created the hemp THC
market. Senate Democrats urged the chamber’s leadership to preserve federal
hemp provisions in September.