Corona’s Owner Buys Stake In Marijuana Firm, Wants To Make Cannabis-Infused Drinks

Cannabis-infused drinks can be found at several craft bars in the United States already where marijuana is legal. However, Constellation Brands, the company that owns alcoholic businesses like Corona and Modelo, is looking to take those infusions to the next level.

Constellation recently acquired a 9.9% minority stake in Canopy Growth, a $2 billion Canadian medical marijuana company. Through that new alliance, Constellation CEO Rob Sands aims to create cannabis-infused drinks, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“Canopy Growth has a seasoned leadership team that understands the legal, regulatory and economic landscape for an emerging market that is predicted to become a significant consumer category in the future,” Sands said in a statement. “Our company’s success is the result of our focus on identifying early stage consumer trends, and this is another step in that direction.”

By working directly with a marijuana firm the size of Canopy, Constellation has the ability to scale cannabis-infused drinks at a level never seen before. It’s even possible that, once marijuana is nationally legalized, we could find these products in stores in the USA.

For now, Constellation will focus on Canada as the market for its new product testing. Fortune reports that legalization there could happen as early as 2019, giving the alcoholic giant plenty of time to create some weed-centric spirits and beverages before then.