THC seltzers rise in popularity: What to know about the drinks
Seltzer selections are growing in local grocery stores, gas stations, and liquor stores to include a new iteration, THC-infused seltzers.
THC-infused beverages, sometimes referred to as "gardening drinks" on social media, are catching the eyes of consumers looking for alternatives to alcoholic beverages.
The THC beverage industry is expected to be a $4 billion industry by 2028, according to Euromonitor International, a London-based market research company.
Here is what to know about the increasingly popular drinks.
THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is a psychoactive compound found in marijuana, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
THC seltzers are made by infusing THC into carbonated drinks, creating a new subcategory of seltzers and a new means of cannabis consumption.
The drinks come with different percentages of THC per serving.
Marijuana comes from the Cannabis sativa plant which contains many chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. The most well-known cannabinoid is THC, recognized for causing feelings of euphoria or intoxication. Cannabis plants with less than 0.3% THC are classified as hemp, while those with higher levels of THC - the compound responsible for marijuana's psychoactive effects - are considered marijuana.
In 2018, President Donald Trump signed the 2018 farm bill into law, which legalized industrial hemp.
Under the law, products containing cannabis byproducts, such as cannabanoid oil, must be below 0.3 percent THC. The law also moved the regulation and testing of industrial hemp to states.
Not your recess refreshment: New SunnyD Vodka Seltzer draws in nostalgic appeal and new criticisms
Currently, only 18 states have regulations on hemp, many of which are similar to regulations on alcohol, according to Diana Eberlein, chair of the Coalition of Adult Beverage Alternatives, an advocacy organization that includes hemp beverage manufacturers, partners and alcohol retailers and distributors.
Eberlein told "Good Morning America" the coalition is working to put regulations in place across more states.
Consuming THC produces a psychoactive effect, according to the DEA.
THC seltzers are sold in a wide range of potencies -- ranging from 2.5 MG to 100 MG -- that can affect different people in different ways, according to Staci Gruber, Ph.D., director of the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core and the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery program at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts.
CBD hit the mainstream as a trendy sleep aid, but does it work?
In states where there are no regulations, THC seltzers may be found on store shelves next to non-THC seltzer drinks and energy drinks.
Gruber, also an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, noted that side effects of drinking THC seltzers may include increased heart rate, nausea and feelings of anxiousness and paranoia.
According to the DEA, side effects of THC also include feelings of relaxation and disinhibition, as well as increased appetite, sedation, increased sociability, difficulty in thinking and problem-solving, hallucinations, impaired judgment, reduced coordination and distorted perception.
Experts advise that if you are going to consume THC seltzers, start with a low dose and take it slow.
THC seltzers rise in popularity: What to know about the drinks originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Borderlands Mexico: Renegotiating USMCA may boost North American trade
Borderlands Mexico is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Renegotiating USMCA may boost North American trade; Automotive supplier opens manufacturing facility in Guanajuato; Humanscale expands manufacturing operations in Nogales; and New import cold storage facility slated for Texas border city. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will mark its fifth anniversary on July 1. The importance of the USMCA cannot be overstated as it governs trade between the U.S. and its two most significant trading partners, supporting over $1.5 trillion in annual commerce. Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump has indicated a desire to renegotiate or possibly terminate the USMCA, after previously touting the agreement as a significant economic USMCA faces a critical juncture as it approaches its first six-year review in 2026, though negotiations are already underway. Mexican senior officials have been making regular visits to Washington since early 2023. Jorge Gonzalez Henrichsen, CEO of The Nearshore Co., said accelerating renegotiations of the USMCA may bring much-needed certainty to investors. 'What makes me the most happy about it being revised earlier … is that it will bring certainty, because the Trump administration has created such a level of uncertainty that investment really froze from November [2024] to April [2025] companies that were thinking of going to Mexico,' Henrichsen told FreightWaves in an interview. He said while it's unclear what the Trump administration will do with the USMCA, the trade agreement has been a success in terms of creating more commerce among the three was the top U.S. trade partner for the second consecutive year in 2024, totaling a record-breaking $840 billion. Canada ranked No. 2 for trade with the U.S. in 2024 at $761 billion, and China ranked third at $582 billion. The Nearshore Co., based in Brownsville, Texas, is an international trade and development firm that helps companies set up shelter operations in Mexico. 'The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed in 1994, and the USMCA was 2020, so after 26 years, the economy changed a lot, and I do think that moving from NAFTA to USMCA was positive,' Henrichsen said. 'I think for everyone, it was positive.' One of the biggest changes from NAFTA to the USMCA involved automotive content rules. Under NAFTA, regional automobile content requirements stood at 62.5%, but USMCA raised this threshold to 75% with new wage requirements. It meant that 75% of the vehicle's parts must be sourced from the U.S., Canada or Mexico, or all three. 'One of the drivers for nearshoring to Mexico during COVID was that a lot of these automotive suppliers and original equipment manufacturers were from Asia,' Henrichsen said. 'So you had these OEMs saying, 'I have to move from 62.5% to 75%. You have got to relocate to North America.' It was basically driven by that change, to comply with the local concept.' Labor rights provisions in Mexico were substantially strengthened in USMCA, driving labor reforms in the country that aimed to improve worker protections.'One of the other big changes between USMCA and NAFTA is the labor rights. We had a new labor reform, and now we have unions that are more democratic,' he said. The USMCA also introduced entirely new elements that were not part of NAFTA, including provisions on digital trade and e-commerce and a dispute resolution mechanism, Henrichsen noted. While he views the USMCA as a positive change from NAFTA, there is still room for improving the agreement, Henrichsen said. 'One of the things that I would like to see discussed is how the three countries can deepen the supply chain resilience and the North American competitiveness as a trade bloc,' Henrichsen said. 'I would say the No. 1 driver by far of companies that reach out to us is that they cannot find labor at competitive costs and in large numbers in the U.S. So they're looking to Mexico to find this labor.' While Mexico may have lower labor costs than the U.S. and Canada, it still faces challenges with infrastructure and security. If the U.S., Mexico and Canada can work together as a trade bloc, then all three countries could benefit, Henrichsen said. 'Mexico has big challenges on infrastructure, for example … power, electricity generation and transmission. And so why don't we work as a team,' Henrichsen said. 'Like Mexico says, 'Guys, we can provide labor in Mexico for U.S. companies, for Canadian companies. But, we need support … for infrastructure, bridges to cross to the U.S.' All that kind of nearshoring supply chain thinking as a bloc … is on my wish list.' With an investment of $50 million, China-based TYW Manufacturing recently opened a plant in Irapuato, Mexico. The facility will generate about 500 jobs and manufacture electronic dashboards for Kia and Stellantis targeting markets in South Korea and the U.S., according to a news release. Irapuato is in central Mexico in the state of Guanajuato, a hub for automotive manufacturing in the country. TYW Manufacturing is a subsidiary of Heilongjiang TYW Electronics, a company based in Suihua, China, according to Mexico Business News. New York-based Humanscale recently completed a $30 million expansion of its operation in Nogales, Mexico. The expansion creates 300 jobs and adds a 3,000-square-foot facility that will produce metal components – work previously performed in Asia. Humanscale is a high-end office furniture manufacturer. The company has four factories, including in the U.S., Ireland and Mexico. The company has been in Nogales since 2017. The Mexican city is directly across the border from Nogales, Arizona. Public officials and business leaders recently held a groundbreaking to inaugurate construction of a fresh produce cold storage warehouse along the Texas-Mexico border. Known as the 'From Mexico Cold Storage Warehouse,' the facility will feature 10 high-efficiency loading docks and temperature-controlled storage rooms. It will be designed to support growing demand in cross-border produce distribution,' according to a news release. 'This new facility will bring innovation, efficiency, and opportunity to our produce district, and we are proud to welcome From Mexico as a valued partner to our thriving city as we continue to invest in cold storage infrastructure,' Victor Perez, president and CEO of the Pharr Economic Development Corp., said in a statement. Officials did not provide a timeline for the facility's construction. The Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge handles over 65% of the nation's fresh produce imports from Mexico, contributing to more than $47 billion in annual trade. The post Borderlands Mexico: Renegotiating USMCA may boost North American trade appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
President Donald Trump's One, Big, Beautiful Bill Is Missing His "No Tax on Social Security" Promise -- and There's Likely a Good Reason Why
Key Points Most retirees rely on their Social Security income, in some capacity, to make ends meet. Though Trump proposed ending the tax on Social Security benefits prior to and after his November election, the president's flagship tax and spending bill is missing this key promise. Social Security's long-term financial outlook likely played a key role in keeping the tax on benefits in place. In April, more than 52 million retired-worker beneficiaries brought home an average Social Security check totaling just shy of $2,000. Though this is a relatively modest monthly payout, a majority of retirees need it, in some capacity, to cover their expenses. For 23 consecutive years, pollster Gallup has been surveying retirees to determine how much they rely on their Social Security income. Consistently between 80% and 90% of respondents told Gallup that it was a "major" or "minor" income source. In other words, up to 9 out of 10 retirees would potentially be challenged to make ends meet if Social Security didn't exist. For the program's tens of millions of beneficiaries, nothing is more important than knowing how much they'll receive each month and seeing this payout increase over time via cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to keep pace with inflation. While on the campaign trail, as well as following his January inauguration, President Donald Trump outlined a highly popular proposal that would have given roughly half of all Social Security beneficiaries a raise. However, the flagship tax and spending bill for Trump's second term, known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, is missing this key promise -- and there's likely a good reason why. Trump's One, Big, Beautiful Bill reneges on a key Social Security promise Trump's One, Big, Beautiful Bill is lengthy (more than 1,000 pages) and targets a number of his campaign promises. While this is far from an extensive list, this tax and spending bill, as introduced in the House of Representatives, would: Permanently extend the individual tax cuts enacted by Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was signed into law in December 2017. These individual tax cuts will sunset on Dec. 31, 2025, unless extended. Increase the state and local tax (aka, SALT) deduction to $40,000 for taxpayers earning less than $500,000. The SALT deduction is currently capped at $10,000. Introduce a four-year (2025-2028) tax exemption on overtime pay and tips, up to specific income thresholds for individual taxpayers and couples filing jointly. Expand annual contribution limits for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for select low and middle earners. Authorize low and middle earners aged 65 and up to deduct an additional $4,000 on their federal tax return if filing individually, or $8,000 for couples filing jointly.
CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
Tariffs Explained: How Trump's Ever-Changing Trade Policy Will Affect You
As Donald Trump's wide-ranging taxes on imports face scrutiny in court, rates on steel and aluminum have been doubled. James Martin/CNET President Donald Trump's second-term economic plan can be summed up in one word: tariffs. When his barrage of import taxes went into overdrive a month ago, markets trembled and business leaders sounded alarms about the economic damage they would cause. After weeks of uncertainty and clashes with major companies, Trump's tariffs hit their biggest roadblock yet in court before being reinstated ahead of a final ruling, allowing him to double the rate on imported steel and aluminum this week. Late Wednesday, the US Court of International Trade ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority when he imposed tariffs, effectively nullifying the tariffs, after concluding that Congress has the sole authority to issue tariffs and decide other foreign trade matters, and that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 -- which Trump has used to justify his ability to impose them -- doesn't grant the president "unlimited" authority on tariffs. The next day, an appeals court allowed the tariffs to go back into effect for the time being, while the administration calls for the Supreme Court to overturn the trade court ruling altogether. Should You Buy Now or Wait? Our Experts Weigh In on Tariffs Should You Buy Now or Wait? Our Experts Weigh In on Tariffs Click to unmute Video Player is loading. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Next playlist item Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:06 Loaded : 100.00% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:06 Share Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Should You Buy Now or Wait? Our Experts Weigh In on Tariffs However things shake out in the end, the initial ruling certainly came as a relief to many, given the chaos and uncertainty that Trump's tariffs how caused thus far. For his part, Trump has recently lashed out against companies -- like Apple and Walmart -- that have reacted to the tariffs or discussed their impacts in ways he dislikes. Apple has been working to move manufacturing for the US market from China to relatively less-tariffed India, to which Trump has threatened them with a 25% penalty rate if they don't bring manufacturing to the US instead. Experts have predicted that a US-made iPhone, for example, would cost consumers about $3,500. During a recent earnings call, Walmart warned that prices would rise on things like toys, tech and food at some point in the summer, which prompted Trump to demand the chain eat the costs themselves, another unlikely scenario. Amid all this noise, you might still be wondering: What exactly are tariffs and what will they mean for me? The short answer: Expect to pay more for at least some goods and services. For the long answer, keep reading, and for more, check out CNET's price tracker for 11 popular and tariff-vulnerable products. What are tariffs? Put simply, a tariff is a tax on the cost of importing or exporting goods by a particular country. So, for example, a "60% tariff" on Chinese imports would be a 60% tax on the price of importing, say, computer components from China. Trump has been fixated on imports as the centerpiece of his economic plans, often claiming that the money collected from taxes on imported goods would help finance other parts of his agenda. The US imports $3 trillion of goods from other countries annually. The president has also, more recently, shown a particular fixation on trade deficits, claiming that the US having a trade deficit with any country means that country is ripping the US off. This is a flawed understanding of the matter, as a lot of economists have said, deficits are often a simple case of resource realities: Wealthy nations like the US buy specific things from nations that have them, while those nations might in turn not be wealthy enough to buy much of anything from the US. While Trump deployed tariffs in his first term, notably against China, he ramped up his plans more significantly for the 2024 campaign, promising 60% tariffs against China and a universal 20% tariff on all imports into the US. Now, tariffs against China are more than double that amount and a universal tariff on all exports is a reality. "Tariffs are the greatest thing ever invented," Trump said at a campaign stop in Michigan last year. At one point, he called himself "Tariff Man" in a post on Truth Social. Who pays the cost of tariffs? Trump repeatedly claimed, before and immediately after returning to the White House, that the country of origin for an imported good pays the cost of the tariffs and that Americans would not see any price increases from them. However, as economists and fact-checkers stressed, this is not the case. The companies importing the tariffed goods -- American companies or organizations in this case -- pay the higher costs. To compensate, companies can raise their prices or absorb the additional costs themselves. So, who ends up paying the price for tariffs? In the end, usually you, the consumer. For instance, a universal tariff on goods from Canada would increase Canadian lumber prices, which would have the knock-on effect of making construction and home renovations more expensive for US consumers. While it is possible for a company to absorb the costs of tariffs without increasing prices, this is not at all likely, at least for now. Speaking with CNET, Ryan Reith, vice president of International Data's worldwide mobile device tracking programs, explained that price hikes from tariffs, especially on technology and hardware, are inevitable in the short term. He estimated that the full amount imposed on imports by Trump's tariffs would be passed on to consumers, which he called the "cost pass-through." Any potential efforts for companies to absorb the new costs themselves would come in the future, once they have a better understanding of the tariffs, if at all. Which Trump tariffs have gone into effect? Following Trump's "Liberation Day" announcements on April 2, the following tariffs are in effect: A 50% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, doubled from 25% as of June 4. A 30% tariff on all Chinese imports until Aug. 10 while negotiations continue. China being a major focus of Trump's trade agenda, this rate has been notably higher than others and has steadily increased as Beijing returned fire with tariffs of its own, peaking at 145%, which it could return to down the line if a deal is not reached. 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico not covered under the 2018 USMCA trade agreement brokered during Trump's first term. The deal covers roughly half of all imports from Canada and about a third of those from Mexico, so the rest are subject to the new tariffs. Energy imports not covered by USMCA only will be taxed at 10%. A 25% tariff on all foreign-made cars and auto parts. A sweeping overall 10% tariff on all imported goods. For certain countries that Trump said were more responsible for the US trade deficit, Trump imposed what he called "reciprocal" tariffs that exceed the 10% level: 20% for the 27 nations that make up the European Union, 26% for India, 24% for Japan and so on. These were meant to take effect on April 9 but were delayed by 90 days as a result of historic stock market volatility, which makes the new effective date July 8. Trump's claim that these reciprocal tariffs are based on high tariffs imposed against the US by the targeted countries has drawn intense pushback from experts and economists, who have argued that some of these numbers are false or potentially inflated. For example, the above chart claims a 39% tariff from the EU, despite its average tariff for US goods being around 3%. Some of the tariffs are against places that are not countries but tiny territories of other nations. The Heard and McDonald Islands, for example, are uninhabited. We'll dig into the confusion around these calculations below. Notably, that minimum 10% tariff will not be on top of those steel, aluminum and auto tariffs. Canada and Mexico were also spared from the 10% minimum additional tariff imposed on all countries the US trades with. On April 11, the administration said smartphones, laptops and other consumer electronics, along with flat panel displays, memory chips and semiconductors, were exempt from reciprocal tariffs. But it wasn't clear whether that would remain the case or whether such products might face different fees later. How were the Trump reciprocal tariffs calculated? The numbers released by the Trump administration for its barrage of "reciprocal" tariffs led to widespread confusion among experts. Trump's own claim that these new rates were derived by halving the tariffs already imposed against the US by certain countries was widely disputed, with critics noting that some of the numbers listed for certain countries were much higher than the actual rates and some countries had tariff rates listed despite not specifically having tariffs against the US at all. In a post to X that spread fast across social media, finance journalist James Surowiecki said that the new reciprocal rates appeared to have been reached by taking the trade deficit the US has with each country and dividing it by the amount the country exports to the US. This, he explained, consistently produced the reciprocal tariff percentages revealed by the White House across the board. "What extraordinary nonsense this is," Surowiecki wrote about the finding. The White House later attempted to debunk this idea, releasing what it claimed was the real formula, though it was quickly determined that this formula was arguably just a more complex version of the one Surowiecki deduced. What will the Trump tariffs do to prices? In short: Prices are almost certainly going up, if not now, then eventually. That is, if the products even make it to US shelves at all, as some tariffs will simply be too high for companies to bother dealing with. While the effects of a lot of tariffs might not be felt straight away, some potential real-world examples have already emerged. Microsoft has increased prices across the board for its Xbox gaming brand, with its flagship Xbox Series X console jumping 20% from $500 to $600. Elsewhere, Kent International, one of the main suppliers of bicycles to Walmart, announced that it would be stopping imports from China, which account for 90% of its stock. Speaking about Trump's tariff plans just before they were announced, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said that they would generate $6 trillion in revenue over the next decade. Given that tariffs are most often paid by consumers, CNN characterized this as potentially "the largest tax hike in US history." New estimates from the Yale Budget Lab, cited by Axios, predict that Trump's new tariffs will cause a 2.3% increase in inflation throughout 2025. This translates to about a $3,800 increase in expenses for the average American household. Reith, the IDC analyst, told CNET that Chinese-based tech companies, like PC makers Acer, Asus and Lenovo, have "100% exposure" to these import taxes as they currently stand, with products like phones and computers the most likely to take a hit. He also said that the companies best positioned to weather the tariff impacts are those that have moved some of their operations out of China to places like India, Thailand and Vietnam, singling out the likes of Apple, Dell and HP. Samsung, based in South Korea, is also likely to avoid the full force of Trump's tariffs. In an effort to minimize its tariff vulnerability, Apple has begun to move the production of goods for the US market from China to India. Will tariffs impact prices immediately? In the short term -- the first days or weeks after a tariff takes effect -- maybe not. There are still a lot of products in the US imported pre-tariffs and on store shelves, meaning the businesses don't need a price hike to recoup import taxes. Once new products need to be brought in from overseas, that's when you'll see prices start to climb because of tariffs or you'll see them become unavailable. That uncertainty has made consumers anxious. CNET's survey revealed that about 38% of shoppers feel pressured to make certain purchases before tariffs make them more expensive. About 10% say they have already made certain purchases in hopes of getting them in before the price hikes, while 27% said they have delayed purchases for products that cost more than $500. Generally, this worry is the most acute concerning smartphones, laptops and home appliances. Mark Cuban, the billionaire businessman and Trump critic, voiced concerns about when to buy certain things in a post on Bluesky just after Trump's "Liberation Day" announcements. In it, he suggested that consumers might want to stock up on certain items before tariff inflation hits. "It's not a bad idea to go to the local Walmart or big box retailer and buy lots of consumables now," Cuban wrote. "From toothpaste to soap, anything you can find storage space for, buy before they have to replenish inventory. Even if it's made in the USA, they will jack up the price and blame it on tariffs." CNET's Money team recommends that before you make any purchase, especially of a high-ticket item, be sure that the expenditure fits within your budget and your spending plans in the first place. Buying something you can't afford now because it might be less affordable later can be burdensome, to say the least. What is the goal of the White House tariff plan? The typical goal behind tariffs is to discourage consumers and businesses from buying the tariffed, foreign-sourced goods and encourage them to buy domestically produced goods instead. When implemented in the right way, tariffs are generally seen as a useful way to protect domestic industries. One of the stated intentions for Trump's tariffs is along those lines: to restore American manufacturing and production. However, the White House also claims to be having negotiations with numerous countries looking for tariffs exemptions and some officials have also floated the idea that the tariffs will help finance Trump's tax cuts. You don't have to think about those goals for too long before you realize that they're contradictory: If manufacturing moves to the US or if a bunch of countries are exempt from tariffs then tariffs aren't actually being collected and can't be used to finance anything. This and many other points have led a lot of economists to allege that Trump's plans are misguided. In terms of returning -- or "reshoring" -- manufacturing in the US, tariffs are a better tool for protecting industries that already exist because importers can fall back on them right away. Building up the factories and plants needed for this in the US could take years, leaving Americans to suffer under higher prices in the interim. That problem is worsened by the fact that the materials needed to build those factories will also be tariffed, making the costs of "reshoring" production in the US too heavy for companies to stomach. These issues, and the general instability of American economic policies under Trump, are part of why experts warn that Trump's tariffs could have the opposite effect: keeping manufacturing out of the US and leaving consumers stuck with inflated prices. Any factories that do get built in the US because of tariffs also have a high chance of being automated, canceling out a lot of job creation potential. To give you one real-world example of this: When warning customers of future price hikes, toy maker Mattel also noted that it had no plans to move manufacturing to the US. Trump has reportedly been fixated on the notion that Apple's iPhone -- the most popular smartphone in the US market -- can be manufactured entirely in the US. This has been broadly dismissed by experts, for a lot of the same reasons mentioned above, but also because an American-made iPhone could cost upward of $3,500. One report from 404 Media dubbed the idea "a pure fantasy." The overall sophistication and breadth of China's manufacturing sector has also been cited, with CEO Tim Cook stating in 2017 that the US lacks the number of tooling engineers to make its products. For more, see how tariffs might raise the prices of Apple products and find some expert tips for saving money.
