AriZona Seeks Colorado High With Cannabis-Infused Products

DENVER, CO — One of the country's most popular iced tea brands is aiming high with some of its latest products after teaming up with a Denver-based company.

AriZona, which is headquartered in Westbury, is partnering with Denver-based Dixie Brands Inc. to create cannabis-infused products, the companies announced Wednesday.

Plans for the AriZona line of weed products are in the early stages, and will likely start with vape pens and gummies, followed by a variety of drinks that may include tea, lemonade, soda, coffee or seltzer, The Wall Street Journal reported. Dixie plans to launch the products in the United States before venturing to Canada and Latin America. The products will contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

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Dixie Brands produces cannabis-infused elixirs, chocolates, gummies, dew drops, mints and tarts, topicals and more.

"AriZona has always led the way in product innovation," Don Vultaggio, chairman of AriZona Beverages, stated in a Newsday-obtained release. "The cannabis market is an important emerging category, and we've maintained our independence as a private business to be positioned to lead and seize generation-defining opportunities exactly like this one."

The move doesn't come without risks. With cannabis still being prohibited by federal law, it can't be brought across state lines, many banks won't accept money made from cannabis sales and companies that sell marijuana in the country can't list on major U.S. stock exchanges, the WSJ reports.

In the U.S., 11 states plus Washington D.C. have legalized the use of recreational marijuana. It has been decriminalized in New York.

Michael DeSantis contributed to this report.