One of the world’s most famous ice cream brands has issued a rallying cry for the legalization of edibles by promising to develop a CBD-infused ice cream.
Ben & Jerry’s, known the world over for flavours like “Half Baked,” announced Thursday that it hopes its next hit flavour will include cannabidiol, providing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) legalizes cannabinoid-infused food and beverages.
“We’re doing this for our fans,” said Ben & Jerry’s CEO Matthew McCarthy in a statement.
“We’ve listened and brought them everything from Non-Dairy indulgences to on-the-go portions with our Pint Slices. We aspire to love our fans more than they love us and we want to give them what they’re looking for in a Ben & Jerry’s way.”
The timing of Ben & Jerry’s announcement is no coincidence. The company unveiled its pitch the day before the FDA held a public hearing on the legalization of CBD-infused foods and beverages, and submitted a comment in support of legalization.
The company also asked its fans to support their endeavor by contacting the FDA in support of legalization during their public consultation, which runs until July 2.
“We want to use sustainably-sourced CBD from our home state of Vermont. After all, values-led sourcing is an important part of our process when we churn up new ice cream innovations,” the company said.
But Canadians also shouldn’t expect to get their CBD fix in the ice cream isle any time soon.
Health Canada also held a public consultation surrounding the legalization of edibles, garnering over 7,000 responses from Canadians, industry representatives, and public health officials. But the official rules about the legal sale of cannabis-infused goods aren’t set to be released until Oct. 17, 2019.
But experts say the process of manufacturing edibles will present many obstacles, including separate manufacturing facilities, further delaying these types of products from making it to store shelves.
