20 CBD-Infused Foods and Drinks

Published: December 22, 2023 by 24/7 Tempo Staff

Marijuana-related food items were at one time unheard of. According to RYOT, edibles were popular during the late 19th century in both France and the United States, and although their uses may date back even further, this is not confirmed. In the U.S., these marijuana-enhanced items were federally banned in the early 20th century by federal lawmakers who viewed them as evil. The only reference to edibles was the infamous pot brownie, a staple of 1960s gatherings descended from a recipe for hashish fudge published in 1954 in a cookbook written by Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein’s life partner.

There are hundreds of chemical compounds found in marijuana and two of these are commonly used in food and drink – cannabidiol, known popularly as CBD, and tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC. THC is the compound that can make you high, CBD does not have this hallucinogenic effect, but it is believed to have innumerable health benefits and is not only added to confections but to food and drinks of almost every kind.

CBD has been touted as incredibly beneficial for numerous ailments and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018 to treat rare forms of epilepsy. Research also suggests that it might be effective at relieving pain (especially that caused by conditions including MS and fibromyalgia), reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, relieving nausea, helping treat neurological disorders such as epilepsy, reducing blood pressure, and improving sleep – among other things. (A bad night’s sleep could be a symptom of these health problems.)

24/7 Tempo reviewed articles on the subject from numerous websites, including Green Stock News, Progressive Grocer, Edibles Magazine, Incredible Edibles, Leafreport, and Cannabis Health to compile a list, although it is far from comprehensive, of some foods and drinks that contain CBD. It should be pointed out that while most of the brands on this list contain only non-psychoactive CBD, some also include small quantities of psychoactive THC in their products. (Another marijuana-related food additive is hemp oil. Hemp and marijuana are two varieties of the same plant and CBD may be derived from either.)

In most cases, the health advantages of CBD are not proven and are based mostly on anecdotal evidence. It is always recommended that anyone considering consuming CBD, in whatever form, consult with a doctor first. While there’s no official legal age for buying CBD-infused products, most manufacturers and retailers impose an 18- or 21-year-old minimum.

From a legal standpoint, CBD foods and drinks exist in a gray area of sorts. Last year, the FDA issued warning letters to some companies producing them, and in January of this year, the agency announced that the existing regulatory framework for foods and supplements didn’t apply to CBD products, but that it would work with Congress to find “a new way forward.” Meanwhile, the situation seems to vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and some municipalities have banned CBD edibles and drinkables. (These are the most marijuana-friendly cities in America.)

Here are CBD-enhanced foods and drinks