Canada's Moosehead Breweries is to launch a range of THC-infused cannabis beverages that the brewer claims take effect after five minutes and deliver a 90-minute 'high'.

Moosehead said it will launch THC beverages with quicker onset times than rival application formats

The company, which set up a cannabis joint-venture with Vancouver-based Sproutly earlier this year, said it has made "significant strides" in product development. It said the new range, under the brand name Infused Beverages, will target the "casual and canna-curious" consumer.

According to Moosehead, the five-minute onset time - how long it takes the cannabis to have an effect after consumption - is quicker than the 30 minutes for "traditional" oil-based emulsion and nano-encapsulation technologies. The brewer is using Sproutly's water-soluble cannabinoids.

Meanwhile, the 90-minute THC 'buzz' is shorter than the two-hour window with other technologies, Moosehead said.

The brewer added that completing the legal framework of the JV with Sproutly has "taken longer than expected".

"We look forward to completing the remaining legal documents to implement the joint venture and to announcing the name of the JV," Sproutly CEO Keith Dolo said.

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