THC and CBD Beverages Are All the Buzz
THC and CBD beverages have surged in popularity—now they’re bubbling up all over Raleigh.
Gone are the days when conversations around THC, CBD and hemp—even marijuana—are murmured in a whisper. Now, at almost any Raleigh bar, bottle shop, brewery or restaurant, you’ll find a hemp-derived bev (key word: hemp, which is legal in NC). While THC and CBD drinks aren’t new, they’ve exploded in popularity over the last year-plus, with a bevy of local businesses either brewing their own or adding multiple ops to their menus.
And, no, this isn’t just a Dry January remnant. At an ever-growing clip, people are turning to these NA options as an alternative to alcohol—especially on the heels of the new Surgeon General warning echoing the 1964 smoking report: “Even light to moderate drinking can contribute to cancer risk,” linking it to at least seven types of cancer.
But cropping up even prior, young American adults are progressively drinking less, with 59% of adults under age 35 reporting they drink, per a 2024 Gallup poll, down from 72% in the 2000s—and nearly half of Americans are planning to cut back in 2025. While mocktails certainly had their own NA moment, consumers seeking to take the edge off are realizing these THC tonics serve up similar effects to, say, a glass of wine—sans the hangover.
“THC drinks are being refined and are definitely an option a lot more people are choosing,” says Hibernian Hospitality Group mastermind Niall Hanley, who recently added local delta-8 and delta-9 THC Groovewagon cans to its roster. “Such products are making a move into the booze market for all the reasons people know—easier on the body, no hangover, less damaging side effects. It’s definitely a growing sector.”
Once a stigmatized swap, these “cannabevs,” as Groovewagon co-owner Reilly Dunn calls them, are becoming more mainstream and accepted, even among high-end restaurants that before would turn their nose up to them for fear of “attracting the wrong crowd.” Think from such trailblazers as Irregardless to F&B spots like Johnson Street Yacht Club, Bowstring Pizza and Brewyard, and The Bend—even Stanbury and East End Bistrot, where GM Greta Montellano says patrons are “definitely destigmatized” and warming up to them.
That mindset shift really comes down to education and exposure, as Dunn and Groovewagon co-owner Sasha Klimczak explain. “It’s been really exciting to see it move from the perception of THC as this sketchy thing where you have to meet some dude in the parking lot of a Harris Teeter to [getting] it at the same family-friendly establishments that are selling alcohol,” shares Dunn.
Local breweries are hopping on board with their own offerings. Seeing the hype at State of Beer, Trophy Brewing released its first line, Starry Eyes, earlier this year via two canned ops and one draft, crafted with equal parts THC and CBD in fruit-forward flavors like grapefruit and strawberry lime.
“Some people aren’t drinking or changing the way they’re drinking,” says Trophy co-owner Chris Powers. “We want to be accommodating to that—we’re beverage people; we’re connoisseurs; we like to try new things. It just makes a lot of sense for us to do our own.”
Incendiary Brewing also released its Seditious hemp-infused seltzer with 10mg delta-9 in February, and both Brewery Bhavana and Element Gastropub have plans in the works to drop buzzy drinks later this year. For those still craving spirits, Whiskey Kitchen, Bowstring and Irregardless are already mixing up THC cocktails—with a THC spirit line by Groovewagon in the works to boot.
“The only way this thing is going to be as powerful as it can be is when people expect that anywhere they go is going to have an alternative that does something,” maintains Dunn. “It doesn’t need to be weird, it’s perfectly reasonable—and the audience is everybody.”
FAST FACTS
- THC drinks can contain anywhere from 1mg to 100mg+.
- THC can come up in a drug test.
- Age to buy: 18+ (however, many local establishments adhere to 21+)
- THC has a psychoactive that produces a “buzz” effect, while CBD has more calming properties.
