“This bud’s for you” is about to take on an entirely new meaning.
Companies have made aggressive moves to get into position for what could be a $600 million market in the U.S. by 2022, according to investment firm Canaccord Genuity, and an even larger market worldwide. What’s this significant new market? Cannabis-infused beverages. And 2019 is poised to be a pivotal year for the cannabis-infused-beverage market.
Investors seeking to profit from the early growth of this new opportunity have plenty of options to choose from. But some stocks have a definite head start over others. Here are the top marijuana beverage stocks to buy in 2019 — and what you need to know about the market that’s in its infancy but could soon take off…
Types of marijuana beverages
Marijuana beverages go well beyond just dropping a marijuana leaf into a drink. To understand the possibilities for marijuana beverages, it’s important to know something about the two key chemical ingredients in the cannabis plant.
Perhaps the best-known chemical ingredient of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. When marijuana users get high, it’s the result of THC’s effects on their brain.
Another cannabis ingredient that’s also attracted a lot of attention is cannabidiol. Unlike THC, CBD isn’t psychoactive. A CBD-based drug that treats epilepsy, Epidiolex, won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2018, becoming the first drug made from the marijuana plant to receive an FDA green light. CBD could also potentially be effective in treating neurologic indications including anxiety, inflammation, and pain relief.
These two ingredients highlight the two primary types of marijuana beverages. THC-infused drinks are similar to alcoholic beverages. Their purpose is to give the consumer a buzz. CBD-infused drinks, on the other hand, are intended to be therapeutic. For example, some energy drinks contain CBD. Companies also market CBD-infused “wellness beverages” that purport to ease inflammation and pain.
Marijuana beverages overlap with…
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