The company that makes an inexplicably popular beer that gives me cringe shivers when I choke it down because it tastes so bad has made a joint $100 million investment to find a way to make THC- and CBD-infused beverages. The industry that contributed untold dollars to prohibitionist efforts has now crossed over from the dark (alcohol) side, and sees the benefits of a regulated cannabis industry—as long as they can control it and make additional billions.

AB InBev, the company who one holds accountable for producing Budweiser, the dubiously named "King of Beers," has entered into a partnership (limited to Canada) with Canadian cannabis company Tilray, producer of such cannabis brands as Marley Naturals, to study and develop non-alcoholic beverages containing THC and CBD.

Canada's Labatt Breweries (an AB InBev subsidiary) will work with Tilray in development, but the agreement precludes any actual production. Instead, per MJBizDaily, "Both companies have agreed to put $50 million apiece into potential options for future products." Labatt's president said in a press release, "We intend to develop a deeper understanding of nonalcohol beverages containing THC and CBD that will guide future decisions about potential commercial opportunities.”

Canada's nationwide legalization of cannabis this year allows Canadian based industries of many kinds an opportunity for partnerships with cannabis brands, and that's placing their American counterparts at a distinct disadvantage. When the regulatory shift happens here, who knows what we'll see? Right now, the CERIA Brewing Company in Colorado is working with craft breweries to develop THC-infused beers, but those likely won't be sold out of state. If a behemoth like AB InBev enters the US cannabis market, things will change very quickly.