Shares in cannabis companies have risen on the news that Coca-Cola is "in talks" with a Canadian marijuana producer about creating a cannabis-infused range of drinks.
The drinks giant is said to be speaking with Aurora Cannabis, a Canadian producer that makes products including whole-flower cannabis, milled cannabis, oils and vaporizers.
Coca-Cola is considering a range of functional wellness beverages infused with CBD or cannabidiol.
In an official statement, Coca-Cola said:
"We have no interest in marijuana or cannabis. Along with many others in the beverage industry, we are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world.
"The space is evolving quickly. No decisions have been made at this time."
This comes as positive news for the cannabis industry as the trend of decriminalisation continues across North America.
And although Coca-Cola said no decision has been made yet, interest from one of the world’s largest consumer brands indicates the growing market for medicinal cannabis derivatives.
Just one month ago, Fortune 500 drinks heavyweight Constellation Brands invested $5bn in leading Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth.
Aurora, along with other cannabis producing companies like Tilray, Green Organic Dutchman and Organigram, rose on the news of Coke’s interest.
Speaking about the report, Jeremy Sturgess-Smith, Investor Relations at Ananda Developments (ANA) , a company that invests in projects that progress medicinal or therapeutic cannabis research and development, said:
"We see this news as further confirmation that the Cannabis industry is here to stay and only serves to increase our belief and excitement that Ananda is primed to take advantage of the burgeoning European market, which is slightly behind north America and predicted to be worth €55bn by 2028.
"With our investment in the hapac® product and its planned launch in Italy in November, we are ahead of the curve and ready to take advantage of this demand.”
Cannabis compound cannabidiol has been deemed safe by the World Health Organisation, with many advocating that it can promote sleep and reduce stress, and one study demonstrating the mechanism by which CBD can inhibit inflammatory and neuropathic pain.
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