The Ontario, Canada government has awarded a $300,000 research grant to Province Brands of Canada to help them develop a beer brewed with cannabis, the Ottawa Citizen reports. The Toronto-based company will work with Loyalist College to develop the beer.
Edibles are not included in the federal legalization plan but lawmakers have indicated they would consider adding edible products to the regime in 2019.
Licensed producer Canopy Growth has been working on a cannabis-infused drink for three years and has partnered with U.S. alcohol distributor Constellation Brands on the project. However, Canopy CEO Bruce Linton is adamant the company is not creating beer, rather a new category of beverages.
“We are not going to call it beer. Beer is beer. There will be a cannabis beverage selection, which will not be called something it’s not. Beer is beer, wine is wine, vodka is vodka. I’m not making those things. I’m displacing those things.” – Linton to the Citizen
Province Brands is partnering with Loyalist College’s Applied Research Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis which holds a Health Canada license to research cannabis. The $300,000 grant was administered through the Ontario Centres of Excellence, which promotes collaboration between industry and academia for commercial products.