Want a Toke of CANNABEER

As recreational marijuana becomes legal, some beer consumers may look elsewhere for their mind-altering substance of choice. With legal cannabis rolling out this summer in Canada, the Canadian beer market has started to look into how to respond to this threat. One option: cannabis beer.

According to the International Cannabis Business Conference, Canadian beer and cannabis markets are looking into merging. For consumers in the United States, though, it doesn’t look like “cannabeer” — at least alcoholic cannabeer — will be in the cards, bringing up larger concerns about the clash between federal and state marijuana laws.

“It comes down to authority,” says Mark Pettinger, the spokesperson for the Recreational Marijuana Program under the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Since the federal government is in charge of alcohol regulations and recreational marijuana is controlled by the state of Oregon, he says, the two substances are in conflict.

Since pot is federally illegal — classified as a Schedule 1 drug along with heroin — it makes it tricky for American brewers who want to eliminate the middleman between a beer and a joint.

“Folks in the industry are experimenting,” Pettinger says. “Brewers stand to lose their federal license for infusing beer with cannabis.”

There has been experimenting in states where recreational marijuana is legalized, and some find that they’re fighting an uphill battle. One popular experiment is to infuse beer with CBD, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, which some brewers find goes especially well with the hop-heaviness of IPAs.

However, according to Denver’s Westword, Colorado brewery Dad & Dudes was approved for its General Washington’s Secret Stash CBD IPA by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Association, only to be told later that the brewery had to shut it down.

Closer to home, Portland-based Coalition Brewing could face the same fate with their Two Flowers CBD-containing IPA, but according to its website is still selling the 6 percent alcohol, 55 IBU and 3 mg of CBD per 12 oz glass beverage at locations around Portland.

In Canada, marijuana laws are handled at the federal level, which means making and selling cannabeer is possible. In the United States, this is just one example of the disjointed nature at which the federal and state governments operate, opening up the potential for chaos regarding marijuana regulation.

Pettinger says that he doesn’t believe federal cannabis reclassification will happen in the near future, condemning it to state-by-state regulation.

So, as long as the federally-operated Tobacco and Tax Bureau controls alcohol, and marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, don’t count on cannabeer being legal in Oregon — or the whole U.S. — anytime soon.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!