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.