Weed wine is a trip, but people in Oregon aren’t invited. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission recently instated a ban on marijuana-infused alcohol.
The two active ingredients in weed — THC and CBD — are officially banned from alcoholic beverages in Oregon — one of the eight states with legal recreational marijuana. Part of the reasoning behind the ban is because of marijuana’s Schedule I drug listing by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.
“The labeling on alcohol generally is done by the feds. We don’t do that here in Oregon,” Steve Marks, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission director, said according to OPB. “So they’re not approving levels with the Schedule I THC products in them. Same for now, CBDs, which the federal government recently made Schedule I as well.”
The federal government isn’t involved in labeling non-alcoholic drinks, so those are fair game for now. Innovation is still being stifled, however, and while the marijuana-infused alcohol industry is still young, Oregonians are likely missing out on a tasty tipple. VinePair’s Laura Burgess tried weed wine and writes that she and her friends thought it would taste like bong water, “but it’s so much better!” Oregon was just getting started on marijuana-infused alcohol with its first CBD-infused beer released by Coalition Brewing and Half Baked Labs in December.
Oregonians interested in marijuana-infused alcohol will just have to wait until federal law catches up with state law to get a taste. Or just travel to another cannabis-friendly state.
