The Coca-Cola Company, the world's largest producer of soda drinks, is considering developing a range of cannabis-infused beverages. The company is holding the negotiations with major Canadian marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis, as BNN Bloomberg reported on Monday.
The main aim of this collaboration is to use the properties of cannabis to help the user treat physical problems such as pain, cramps or inflammation. Coca-Cola said it is interested in developing drinks containing cannabidiol, also known as CBD, a chemical compound taken from marijuana plants.
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"We have no interest in marijuana or cannabis. Along with many others in the beverage industry, we are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world. The space is evolving quickly. No decisions have been made at this time," Kent Landers, a Coca-Cola spokesman stated.
Marijuana is set to become legal in Canada on October 17, 2018. Companies from the US (where marijuana remains illegal at the federal level), interested in future related business opportunities, can try things out in Canada without risking doing something illegal at home.
"Aurora Company has expressed a specific interest in the infused-beverage space and we intend to enter that market," said Aurora Company spokeswoman Heather MacGregor.
The talks around CBD as a food additive are controversial, as the first cannabidiol medicine was used to treat epilepsy. The World Health Organization released a report last year that also confirmed the benefits of CBD for epilepsy sufferers, but stated that more research was needed to determine its possible effectiveness in other areas.
However, the company's plans seem disputable not only for the health organizations, but also for some makers of CBD products, which claim that Coca-Cola symbolizes an unhealthy lifestyle.
The online community, in turn, is more likely to support the companies' decision.