Sales of THC-infused drinks have been soaring since the Minnesota Legislature passed a bill last year that allowed consumers age 21 and older to purchase products that contain THC derived from hemp.
Craft breweries such as Indeed, Modist, Bent Paddle and Surly jumped into gear to produce low-dose THC beverages.
Now, Lift Bridge Brewing in Stillwater wants in on the action, and they want the Stillwater City Council to change its ordinance to allow for the manufacturing of THC-infused beverages in the city.
Brad Glynn, the company’s co-owner, said the decision to branch out into THC-infused sales is a response to a changing market. “Vendors are asking for it,” he said. “Beer sales have been declining, and the newer generation is enjoying THC and other products.”
Under state law, the THC used must be derived from hemp containing no more than 0.3 percent THC, and products must not contain more than 5 milligrams of THC per serving.
Glynn earlier this month approached the council and asked them to consider changing the city’s cannabis ordinance to allow Lift Bridge to manufacture THC beverages for off-sale use. Under current Stillwater ordinance, that’s not allowed.
Stillwater officials in November 2021 enacted a one-year moratorium on all cannabis product sales, including CBD, by new businesses. The moratorium expired in September 2022 when the city adopted an ordinance regulating CBD retail establishment licenses.
The ordinance states that businesses with an inventory made up of more than 50 percent CBD- or THC-product sales will be considered a CBD retail establishment, which requires a license to operate; the number of licenses issued by the city is limited to two; CBD retail establishments are zoned in the business park, and products sold could not have a THC content of more than 0.3 percent. The ordinance does not affect CBD House, located in downtown Stillwater, which is grandfathered in; Medicinal Blends Modern Apothecary sells only topicals, which does not require a license, said City Attorney Korine Land.
The council earlier this month passed an ordinance that bans smoking, vaping or use of marijuana in public parks and other public spaces and made the use of cannabis in public a petty misdemeanor; it also extended a moratorium on retail sales of adult-use marijuana to 2025.
The Stillwater City Council will hold a work session on Sept. 5 to discuss the possibility of removing the prohibition on manufacturing. One option that the council could consider is revising the current ordinance to allow brew pubs with on-site consumption to manufacture and sell THC-infused beverages, but not allow on-site consumption of THC-infused products, Land said.
Councilmember Larry Odebrecht said Monday that he expects the council to vote in Lift Bridge’s favor.
“A business should not be punished for doing business in Stillwater,” he said. “Lift Bridge is a good business, and they are responsible for and have done a ton of stuff for the city.”
Odebrecht said he wishes the state Legislature had taken more time in passing its new cannabis legislation. “If I had my choice, we wouldn’t be going down this road at all, but we are going down this road, and the state has provided limited guidance, and we’re going to have to adjust as necessary,” he said.
During a recent council meeting, Odebrecht joked that “marijuana” should be a standing item on the city council’s agenda.
If the ordinance is changed, Lift Bridge would start manufacturing THC-infused beverages later this year, Glynn said.
In addition to craft beers, Lift Bridge manufactures a full line of sodas and hard seltzers, “so we’re well-suited for blending and carbonating and getting the flavors right and having beverages of all kinds taste awesome,” Glynn said. “This is a new industry, but Minnesota is really on the cutting edge of beverages around the country, and they are blowing up in the market.”
Lift Bridge’s innovation and formulation team has already been experimenting with “awesome natural flavors” that could be used in THC-infused beverages, he said.
“Minnesota is in a good spot … being out in front of an industry, and I think it’s exciting,” Glynn said. “I’m positive that the demand is there. People do want it, and people definitely want to sell it.”
Glynn said Lift Bridge officials want to continue “to be prosperous in Stillwater and continue to be a great asset to the community.”
“That’s what we’re looking at doing with this,” he said. “If they don’t buy it, then we’ll stop making it. You’ve just got to try it. According to the market, it’s what people want. If people are buying it, we’ll continue to make it — that’s what we’re in the business of doing.”
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