# UK: Some cannabis with your tea?



## LdyLunatic (Jul 4, 2006)

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.


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## Stoney Bud (Jul 4, 2006)

"The THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant, has been removed."

What a drag, they took out the best part! 

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

Hahahahaha


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## LdyLunatic (Jul 4, 2006)

hahaha....i hear ya Stoney


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