It’s clear that Canada has been leading the global cannabis market in many regards. Starting with a federal medical marijuana policy that has allowed Canadian companies to export to other nations and have the revenue to expand operations in nations around the world, including the United States, and even get listed on the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange. With commerce for all adults coming to the Great White North on October 17th, Canadian companies are poised to further dominate the international cannabis industry, with at least one business even gearing up to sell cannabis beer, as The Guardian reported:

Most cannabis beers on the market are brewed from barley and infused with marijuana oil, according to Dooma Wendschuh of Province Brands, the Toronto startup behind the product. “That’s not what we do. Our beer is brewed from the stalks, stem and roots of the cannabis plant.” *** There were initial doubts that cannabis could be brewed into beer. “The things that we would come up with just tasted horrible,” Wendschuh said. “They tasted like rotten broccoli.” With the help of a chemist, he eventually hit on the right combination of hops, water, yeast – and cannabis. Any alcohol produced during the processing is removed, resulting in a non-alcoholic, gluten-free beer that offers a high. “The flavour is dry, savoury, less sweet than a typical beer flavour,” he said. “The beer hits you very quickly, which is not common for a marijuana edible.”

Oftentimes you can see and hear alcohol and cannabis companies seemingly at odds with one another, as cannabis has shown the potential to decrease alcohol sales a bit, and some alcohol companies opposing cannabis legalization in some state. If alcohol companies are worried about legal marijuana cutting into their bottom line, the best bet for them is to join the burgeoning cannabis industry. Successful beer, wine, and spirits businesses are in a unique position to thrive in the competitive marijuana market because they have the capital to survive some lean years, have a built-in customer base, and have experience dealing with regulators.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that cannabis companies have invented a cannabis beer and we’ve likely haven’t even scratched the surface on the sheer amount of products the industry will develop. Have you seen how many things members of the cannabis community have turned into bongs?

Find out what is hot in the cannabis industry and what is on tap at the International Cannabis Business Conference this September 27th-28th. Get your “early-bird” tickets by September 12th to save $200!