In my home state of Illinois, talks of recreational marijuana have increased since the election of our latest governor, J.B. Pritzker. Although the Illinois voters, legislature and governor will determine whether this becomes a reality, the states that already have legalized recreational marijuana are seeing the plant pop up in more food and beverage products.
In an October 2018 Business Insider feature titled “The market for marijuana-infused beverages could explode to $600 million in the next four years,” the business news outlet highlights the potential for this market. Citing a note from Canaccord Genuity, the article says that the financial firm is predicting that cannabidiol (CBD) beverages will become a $260 million market by 2022 and that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) beverages will become a $340 million market by 2022.