UK: Some cannabis with your tea?

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LdyLunatic

i wanna be cool too!
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Jenny Wiggins
Financial Times Deutschland
Tuesday 04 Jul 2006

Put that in your pipe and smoke it: A health beverage containing the
plant is the latest in a string of new "functional drinks" to find a
receptive market.
Rituals associated with drinking tea are typically rituals of
relaxation. In Britain, workers will take a break for a "mornin' cuppa".
In India they will stop by the roadside to pick up a cup of chai. So
when a group of entrepreneurs bought the rights to sell a drink made
with tea and cannabis in the UK, it could have been the perfect
opportunity for marketing a product guaranteed to make consumers zone out.
Instead, C-Ice is concentrating on what it claims are its health
properties. "The health angle is by far the most interesting one for
us," says Harinder Kohli, C-Ice's UK commercial director.
Ms Kohli says C-Ice can boost the immune system as a result of the
vitamins, minerals, omega oils and amino acids found in cannabis. The
drink contains cannabis sativa syrup, water, sugar, lemon juice, lemon
flavouring, black tea extract and ascorbic acid. The THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive substance found in the cannabis
plant, has been removed.
C-Ice was developed in 2003 by the Swiss company Thurella. The group
produces some 2m cartons of C-Ice a year, and distributes them in Europe
through an Austrian company, Seagull.
The introduction of C-Ice to the UK comes as consumers become more
enamoured of drinks that claim to offer health benefits. Global
consumption of soft drinks rose 3.9 per cent last year to 499bn litres -
around 77 litres per person, says the drinks consultancy Zenith
International.
The increase was led by the "better for you" categories: bottled water,
fruit drinks and so-called "functional drinks" These include energy
drinks such as Red Bull, sports drinks such as Powerade and
nutraceuticals such as Sirco, a fruit drink claimed to thin the blood.
Stephen Franklin, chief executive of Provexis, the UK company that
developed Sirco, says: "people are taking responsibility for their own
well-being and are less dependent on the medical profession."Jeya Henry,
professor of human nutrition at Oxford Brookes University, says the
absence of heavy regulation in the food and drink market means small
companies can be creative and lead growth: "The revolution in functional
beverages is going to come from small companies."
C-Ice has so far faced no regulatory hurdles in the UK. It approached
the Home Office to make sure the cannabis syrup in its drinks was below
illegal levels, but did not have to get approval from any other authorities.
C-Ice is targeting its distribution through health food stores and bars
but has already found favour among sufferers of multiple sclerosis.
Members of the Milton Keynes Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Group have been
drinking two 250ml containers of C-Ice a day for the past three months.
Roz Heredia, managing director of the group, says it has helped to
relieve leg pains and spasms, as well as insomnia.
However, changes to European laws on health claims mean it is likely to
become harder for companies to establish new products. In the UK,
retailers have been acting as intermediaries between producers and
consumers in determining what drinks are suitable for sale. Supermarkets
asked Provexis to get an endorsement from a charitable organisation to
put on Sirco packaging to give consumers confidence, Mr Franklin says.
The company obtained this from cholesterol charity Heart UK.
Some governments have reservations about functional drinks, especially
if drunk with other substances such as alcohol. Red Bull dominates the
energy drinks market but it has had difficulties getting approval in
some countries, including France and Denmark, because of concerns about
caffeine levels and about other ingredients such as taurine and
glucuronolactone. Red Bull has cut the amount of caffeine in its drinks
sold in Turkey to comply with government requests.
 
"The THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant, has been removed."

What a drag, they took out the best part!:eek:

Hell, if I want tea, I'll buy some liptons. I thought this stuff would get me high!:rolleyes:

Hahahahaha:D
 

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