Hemp Beverage Alliance urges California to develop legislative solution to allow sale of hemp beverages.
The Hemp Beverage Alliance is the trade association of the hemp beverage industry, with more than 175 organizations working together to create a safe, transparent, and thriving hemp beverage industry.
The Hemp Beverage Alliance is disappointed with the recent mischaracterization of hemp beverages in California. That said, we are heartened by the Governor’s commitment to working with suppliers and distributors to appropriately sell hemp beverages within a regulated environment. Such regulatory frameworks are already in place across the country and can be easily replicated in California.
Minnesota has a thriving regulated hemp beverage marketplace that allows for the sale of products in retail and on-premises locations. In Georgia, similar rules will soon be enacted to ensure the safe, compliant, and age-gated sales of hemp beverages. In all, more than half of the states in the country have regulatory frameworks that allow these products to be sold in retail and on-premises locations.
“A legislative solution must be created immediately to allow the sale of hemp beverages,” said Christopher Lackner, president, Hemp Beverage Alliance. “We look forward to working with the governor, the legislature, the business community and public health leaders to develop a plan that protects children, generates revenue for the state, empowers consumers to make informed choices, and, like alcohol, allows hemp beverages to be purchased only in places where there is proper age-gating.”
Across the country and around the world, adults are exploring alcohol alternatives, and many are turning to hemp beverages: seltzers, teas, sodas and mocktails that create an adult beverage experience without the booze. Founded in 2023, the Hemp Beverage Alliance advocates several best practices to steer this new industry, including ensuring products are kept away from children; clear labeling that empowers the consumer; reasonable taxation; and sensible milligram levels in products.
ABOUT
The mission of the Hemp Beverage Alliance is to create a safe and thriving industry through education, advocacy, best practices and partnership. We achieve this mission by providing consumers, retailers, and distributors with the information they need to better understand the industry; developing best practices to create consistency in labeling and manufacturing; working with elected officials and regulators to encourage common-sense regulation; and collaborating with cannabis and alcohol industries to create a marketplace that benefits everyone. More at hempbeveragealliance.org.
