18 June 13 - 19, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents The Latest Buzz in Drinking THC-infused seltzer is coming for your glass of wine, and Dallas brewers are ready. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS D allas native Reagan Power is your typical go-getter. She’s 33, married, a mom of four and a registered nurse. She’s also a dealer. But don’t be alarmed. She’s not dealing anything nefarious or illegal. Her 600 canna- bis plants at Power Biopharms, which she co- founded with her husband, are 100% legal. Her dealing started when her husband, Colt, had ongoing pain after years of playing lacrosse in high school and at Notre Dame. Lingering injuries were catching up with him. It was around the time of the pan- demic, and Reagan was an ICU nurse in Dal- las working 12-hour shifts. On the job, she would see people dealing with pain with opioids and the slippery slope to addiction they can create. She wanted her husband to avoid traditional pharmaceuticals, and she had been learning about alternative treat- ments. She suggested he give CBD a shot, which he did. Also during this time, Colt’s full-time job in commercial real estate was slowing down. So, the Powers literally dug in. They started studying cannabis and what was al- lowed in the 2018 Farm Bill, which gave the OK to farmers to grow hemp, aka cannabis that doesn’t get users high. Colt started growing some plants in their media room upstairs. “Yeah, our parents probably thought we were insane,” Reagan says. “It [the media room] was nice. It was a dark room. It was contained in a way. And so he was like, ‘Let me just try it and see kind of what this en- tails.’” Her only request was that he “keep it up there.” The Powers found a grower to help cul- tivate the business, studied the science and regulations and started a “farm.” They use these plants to extract chemicals from cannabis to create a variety of products like the CBD gummies Reagan and Colt both use on occasion to help relieve pain from sports injuries (she played soccer when she was younger). Or Reagan takes one for a power nap. But that’s CBD, not the strictly regulated delta-9 THC. Both chemicals are cannabinoids found in can- nabis plants, but, as Reagan explains, the latter is the compound that everyone knows for that high feeling, that psychoac- tive effect. CBD, however, purportedly has more anti-inflammatory benefits and helps with relaxation. Power Biopharms deals in both. They sell CBD creams and gummies from their website and also offer CBD flower ciga- rettes, oils, balms and bath bombs. But one of their latest ventures involves delta-9 THC and Martin House Brewing Com- pany and it leans into a growing national trend: marijuana as an alternative to alco- hol. Studies show Americans are drinking less, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. We still want to unwind at the end of the day. A recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that from 1979 to 2022, the number of Americans using marijuana daily skyrocketed and daily alcohol use fell. In line with that, THC-infused drinks are one of the fastest-growing segments in the hemp industry, and several North Texas breweries, along with producers like the Powers, are pushing this historically black- market enterprise mainstream, creating an alternative to that nightly glass (or bottle) of wine. Bayou City Hemp Co. in Houston makes Howdy THC seltzer. CEO and co-founder Ben Meggs is explicit about their wine-sip- ping target audience. “We’re interested in capturing the soccer mom who is tired of drinking every day, who doesn’t want to have a hangover the next day and wants to take the edge off. That’s where we’re going,” Meggs says. Wine Not? But what exactly is THC seltzer, besides a joint repurposed and branded for a soccer mom? And how is delta-9 legal in Texas, but we still can’t smoke a joint? It started with the 2018 federal Farm Bill, which legalized hemp products that con- tain up to 0.3% delta-9 THC by weight. In 2019, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1325, bringing state law in line with federal law and lifting the haze on CBD shops. While 0.3% of delta-9 THC by weight is allowed, anything more potent is still con- sidered marijuana and remains illegal in Texas. To put things into perspective, a blunt contains around 1 gram of cannabis. Now, let’s assume the THC potency of that weed clocks in at 5%. That would translate to roughly 50 milligrams of THC — quite the kick compared to the more modest 5 milli- grams often found in cannabis-infused selt- zers. (The cannabis website Leafly describes 5 milligrams in edibles as a “low” dose, capa- ble of producing a high in new users who haven’t built up a tolerance. Results at all doses depend on factors such as how the THC is consumed and the user’s tolerance and size. Leafly, for example, calls 50 milli- grams an “acute” dose. Certain members of the Observer staff consider it “a decent start.”) Colt Power saw that THC beverages were becoming popular in the years after the Farm Bill passed. He’s long been a fan of Martin House, so he approached the brewer about a collaboration. The Powers brought the hemp background and Martin House supplied the beverage know-how. Shugg Cole, the director of marketing at Martin House, also saw this trend rolling in. “Some of our fans don’t drink anymore, so this brew, Power House, along with our NA [non-alcoholic] seltzer, Wings, are great al- ternatives,” Cole says. Together, they made a winner: Power House THC Strawberry seltzer, which has 5 milligrams of delta-9 in each 12-ounce can, won silver at the High Spirits Awards in Los Angeles this year. Dallas-based Community Brewing also recently rolled out CannaBliss, a THC soft drink with 5 milligrams of delta-9 and 2 mil- ligrams of CBD. CannaBliss does not contain any alcohol, nor do any of the other THC drinks we’ve come across. Community’s founder, Kevin Carr, is al- ways looking for opportunities to expand his company’s repertoire. Finding a credible supplier was the tricky part. “We went through quite a bit of testing and validation,” Carr told the Observer. “And so now we’ve got some suppliers that are to- tally legit and professional, and give us all the documentation and analysis reports we need to make sure that we’ve got a solid product.” How High? Most producers in Texas are sticking to 5 milligrams or less of delta-9 THC. Not be- cause it’s the law (it’s not, in fact) but be- cause that amount is roughly equivalent to the effect of a normal alcoholic drink. “The market for beverages is typically 2.5 to 5 milligrams per can, but some brands are selling 10–25 milligram cans,” Colt says. “We came up with 5 milligrams per can with the intention of making it approachable to new consumers, with a relatively low dose, and also to make it drink more similar to a beer, where experienced consumers could drink a couple if they wanted to.” The contents of a can of THC seltzer are more transparent than what’s in a $20 bottle of wine, a Coors Light or even your grand- ma’s meatloaf. Every can of THC Christopher Durbin Power House THC Lemon Lime seltzer has 5 miligrams of delta-9 in each 12-ounce can. | t Dish >> p19
