A leading alcohol industry group has added a company that makes THC-infused drinks to its membership roster for the first time.
Cannabuzz, a Kentucky-based manufacturer of hemp-derived THC beverages, is now an associate member of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), the company announced in a press release last week.
“We’re proud to be the first THC brand to join WSWA’s THC beverage category,” Annie Rouse, Cannabuzz CEO & Founder, said in a press release. “We look forward to collaborating with the organization and providing our industry expertise to help grow a safe and accessible market.”
Being a part of WSWA will give Cannabuzz “access to distributor expertise, best-practice frameworks and policy engagement as the cannabis category matures,” the company said.
“Our goal isn’t just to sell drinks—it’s to help retailers, distributors, and regulators align on simple guardrails that protect consumers and give stores confidence to stock the category,” Rouse said. “We believe standardized labeling, potency appropriate serving sizes and clear age-gating will define the next chapter of adult cannabis beverages. We’re excited to join beverage-alcohol’s leading trade group to help build these responsible standards for hemp-derived THC [ready-to-drink beverages].”
WSWA staff did not respond to Marijuana Moment’s request for comment for this story, though the organization’s website confirms Cannabuzz is now an associate member of the organization.
The association in June called on Congress to dial back language in a House spending bill that would ban most consumable hemp products, instead proposing to maintain the legalization of naturally derived cannabinoids from the crop and only prohibit synthetic items.
Members of WSWA also met with lawmakers and staffers in April to advocate for three key policy priorities that the group says is based on “sound principles of alcohol distribution.” They include banning synthetic THC, setting up a federal system for testing and labeling products and establishing state-level power to regulate retail sales.
In an op-ed for Marijuana Moment in June, WSWA President and CEO Francis Creighton said echoed that point, reiterating the organization’s position that regulation is superior to prohibition.
This is also consistent with WSWA’s earlier message to House and Senate Agriculture Committee last session, where the association implored congressional leaders to create a regulatory framework for hemp-based intoxicating cannabinoids—rather than impose an outright ban.
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Meanwhile, bipartisan House lawmakers recently pushed back against attempts to ban hemp THC products, arguing that it would “deal a fatal blow” to the industry and, as currently included in a spending bill, violates congressional rules. To that end, the members say there are plans in the works to introduce an alternative measure to regulate the market.
While the Senate ultimately stripped similar language from its version of the agriculture spending measure following a procedural protest from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), there’s still concern among stakeholders that it could wind up in the final package delivered to the president following bicameral negotiations.
Dozens of hemp farmers from Kentucky also recently urged their state’s senior U.S. senator, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), to back off from his push to recriminalize some products that are derived from their crops.
Paul, for his part, recently cautioned that the cannabis policy movement has “swung hard on the prohibitionist side” amid the ongoing debate over intoxicating hemp products. And he worries that, if things go awry, the hemp market could be decimated “within the next two weeks.”
Asked about recent conversations with McConnell and Rep. Andy Harris (R-KY), Paul said “we’ve been working diligently” with the staff “trying to reach a compromise.”
