Arizona is moving from tea to THC with vape pens and gummies

Arizona is putting the tea in THC.

The privately held Arizona Beverage company, which makes the ubiquitous seafoam-green iced tea bottles that line the coolers of your local 7-Eleven, has announced an interesting plan for a new revenue stream. It has put together a licensing deal with Dixie Brands, a company that specializes in making drinks, chocolates, and gummies laced with marijuana. Through the partnership, Arizona will launch a line of THC-infused products that Dixie, which operates in six U.S. states where pot is legal, will manufacture and distribute. The products will be branded with Arizona’s name.

While Arizona is best known for its iced tea, its push into the pot world will reportedly start with vape pens and gummies, but it could expand to include drinks like lemonade, soda, coffee, seltzer, and yes, iced tea, the Wall Street Journal reports. So your dream of vaping Arizona iced tea-flavored THC could become a reality. The line will initially be sold in five states—California, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, and Nevada—with expansion in the U.S. and possibly Canada, Latin America, and Mexico as regulation allows, Arizona says.

The timing has yet to be finalized, though Arizona hopes to get the products in stores as soon as possible to cash in on the growing craze. If things go well, the deal also gives Arizona the right to buy a stake of up to $10 million in the cannabis company.

While many, many companies are dabbling in CBD (even though its legal status is TBD), Arizona is one of the first to go all-in on the marijuana side and cash in on the legalization boom. The foray into pot may be easier for Arizona, as it is a private company with more flexibility. That said, Heineken launched a THC-infused sparkling water under its Lagunitas brand that’s for sale in California dispensaries. And back in December, Anheuser-Busch InBev invested in a Canadian cannabis company to research nonalcoholic beverages containing THC and CBD.

Although marijuana is legal for recreational use in 11 states and for medical use in more than 30 states, it remains prohibited by federal law until Bernie or Pete or Elizabeth or Kamala or any Democrat except Joe Biden gets into the White House.