Target Expands Involvement In Hemp THC Drinks Market With 72 New Licenses In Minnesota

Major retailer Target is expanding its participation in the hemp-derived THC beverage market, even as a federal law is set to ban the products later this year.

Last year, the company began a pilot program involving sales of cannabis drinks at 10 select stores in Minnesota. That apparently went well, and now the company has obtained licenses from Minnesota regulators to sell lower-potency hemp edible products—including THC drinks—at all 72 of its stores in the state.

According to a review of Office of Cannabis Management data, Target, which is headquartered in Minnesota, now holds more lower-potency hemp edible licenses in the state than any other company.

The new licenses were obtained on April 1 and will last for a year.

The move comes months after Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed legislation that will recriminalize hemp-derived products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container.

Bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have pushed for a delay in the scheduled ban, which is set to take effect in November, but those efforts have not gained traction with congressional leadership.

Under Minnesota law, holders of lower-potency hemp edible licenses can sell products containing up to 5 milligrams of THC per serving, with a maximum of 50 milligrams of THC per package. Beverages can have a maximum of up to 10 milligrams of THC per container.

THC drink brands that were included in Target’s initial launch included Birdie, Cann, Find Wunder, Gigli, Hi Seltzer, Indeed, Señorita, Stigma, Surly, Trail Magic, Wyld and Wynk.

It’s not clear whether Target’s involvement in the hemp market at a greater number of its stores with the new licenses will stay focused on the beverage category or if it will involve other kinds of products, and representatives for the company did not immediately respond to Marijuana Moment’s request for comment.

A poll from the cannabis telehealth platform NuggMD last year found that marijuana consumers were encouraged by Target’s decision to start selling THC beverages—with a majority saying the marketing move makes them more likely to shop at the retail giant’s stores.

Respondents were asked: “Does knowing this make you more likely to shop at Target in the future?”

A total of 50.5 percent said they would be more likely—though that notably includes 34.4 percent who said they’d only be more inclined to patronize Target if their local store carried the THC beverages. Another 16.1 percent said “yes” because they “want to support the retailer more now regardless of which locations sell the products.”

About half of respondents (49.5 percent) said Target’s embrace of a THC drink pilot program wouldn’t affect where they shop.

Here’s a full list of Target’s new hemp licenses in Minnesota:

Target’s new license expansion was first reported by Brewbound.

In Minnesota in particular, hemp beverages have been a mainstay even before the state moved to legalize marijuana for adult use.

Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed legislation in 2022 making it so all hemp-derived cannabinoids including CBD could be legally sold in food items, beverages, topicals and more—as long as the products contain less than the federal limit of 0.3 percent THC. Edible and beverage products are limited to a total of 5 mg THC per serving and 50 mg per package.

About a year later, former Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL), who championed the state’s legalization law over multiple sessions, announced plans to launch his own hemp beverage company.

The mainstreaming of cannabis beverages comes as recent poll shows that a majority of Americans believe marijuana represents a “healthier option” than alcohol—and that most also expect cannabis to be legal in all 50 states within the next five years.

Another survey found that four in five adults who drink cannabis-infused beverages say they’ve reduced their alcohol intake—and more than a fifth have quit drinking alcohol altogether.

Target isn’t alone in joining the cannabis train as state laws continue to evolve.

Home Depot, one of the largest employers in the United States, last year shifted its employee drug testing policies to remove cannabis from screening panels entirely and stop pre-employment drug testing of most of its workers, according to a document obtained by Marijuana Moment.

In 2022, Amazon, the second largest private employer in the U.S., also backed a Republican-led bill to federally legalize, tax and regulate marijuana. It previously expressed support for a separate, Democratic-led legalization bill. Amazon has also worked to adapt to changing marijuana policies internally as it’s backed congressional reform, enacting an employment policy change in 2021 to end drug testing for cannabis for most workers, for example.

Meanwhile, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States recently entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with a hemp THC beverage company, with a licensing branding deal that will support a variety of veterans services and promote cannabis drinks as a potential alcohol alternative with the drinks being available at VFW posts across the country.

Separately, while Target is apparently moving into the THC drink space, the airline Virgin Atlantic denied satirical and false claims earlier this year from a cannabis beverage company about a deal to sell its THC-infused beverages on flights.