Welcome Note

Welcome back Gardeners!

This week I am sharing a bit more about my personal journey and incorporating more Minor Cannabinoids into my routine and the science behind it all.

I also sat down with Kate Lily to learn more about being a certified cannabis educator and her journey. So be sure to read more or watch the full conversation. I am also contemplating putting up my newsletter conversations on podcast platforms - what do you think? Would you like to be able to just listen? Shoot me an email.

Finally - on Monday (02/24) Season 2 of The Free Spirits Podcast with Lars & David will be dropping. We sat down with Kerry Hinkle from the US Hemp Roundtable to talk all things policy! So you won’t want to miss that. Be sure to subscribe on Youtube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!

I hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter

And as always, my email is open!

-Lars

Trying to grow my other networks to 11k+ like I did on Linkedin so please follow me on Bluesky, X, Facebook, Instagram, and of course Youtube, I would love to chat with you there. You also can always reach me by just hitting reply here.

Just a heads up, The Free Spirits Podcast is on break until February and then we will be regrouping for season 2.

I just launched a new newsletter that will be laid out similarly to this newsletter just focused on Speciality Coffee.

Any comments or questions? Leave comment on this post or shoot me an email. Would love to hear from you!

News Round Up

• Hemp Beverage Alliance Announces Launch of Hemp Beverage Expo - The Hemp Beverage Alliance has announced the Hemp Beverage Expo, set for July 9-11, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. Registration will open soon at www.hempbeverageexpo.com.

• Mississippi Lawmakers Approve Dueling Bills to Ban Intoxicating Hemp Goods – Mississippi legislators have advanced competing bills that could ban intoxicating hemp-derived products, sparking debate over industry regulations and consumer access.

• 1906 Launches Off-Duty, a First-of-Its-Kind THC-Infused Drink Additive as a Smarter Alternative to Alcohol – Cannabis brand 1906 introduces “Off-Duty,” a microdosed THC drink additive designed as a non-alcoholic alternative for relaxation and socializing.

• Popular Charleston Brewery Launches Hemp-Infused Seltzer Brand – A well-known Charleston brewery has entered the hemp beverage market with a new THC-infused seltzer brand aimed at health-conscious drinkers.

• Hemp THC Beverage Brand High 9ine LLC Adds Industry Veteran Erica Duecy to Corporate Advisory Board – High 9ine LLC has appointed seasoned industry expert Erica Duecy to its advisory board to support growth and brand strategy.

• Indigenous-Owned Canndigenous Drinks Now Available in Wisconsin Stores – Canndigenous, an Indigenous-owned cannabis beverage brand, has expanded its retail footprint, now offering its drinks in Wisconsin stores.

• Austin Chronic: Getting Terpene Boosted with Tejas Tonic – Tejas Tonic is introducing terpene-infused beverages in Austin, blending cannabis-derived flavors with a functional beverage approach.

📰 Got news? Submit it here! 📰

Any other questions or inquiries you can respond to this email or DM me on Twitter 

I've run 186 miles so far in 2025. That's a lot of miles for someone who barely ran at the end of 2024. What I've learned isn't revolutionary - recovery matters, and sometimes you need help staying motivated when running gets boring as hell.

Because let's be honest - running is boring. But it's also beautifully simple. Put on shorts and shoes, walk outside, and go. No gym membership needed. No equipment required. No excuses. Just you and the road (or treadmill if that's your thing). Pop in some podcasts or music, zone out, and knock out the miles.

Anyone who knows me could have predicted what happened next. If there's a way to incorporate cannabinoids and tinker with making something from scratch, I'm going to find it. It started with trying to solve the hydration puzzle. I tested commercial products like Kaged (didn't want the sucralose) and Re-Lyte (loved it but expensive). This led me to experiment with making my own hydration powder - which, turns out, tastes pretty terrible on its own.

During this time, I was using Offfield gummies containing CBG, CBD, and caffeine for my runs. They worked great but weren't cheap. So naturally, I thought: "Why not add cannabinoids to my hydration mix?" Simple idea, complex execution. Sourcing bulk ingredients isn't easy, and making something taste good is even harder. Food science, I've learned, is very different from regular cooking.

But here's what really interests me - the science behind why these cannabinoids seem to help my runs. When the CBG/CBD kicks in, something changes. The general leg fatigue fades away, and I can lock into the run. Without cannabinoids, I get distracted by everything: my breathing, minor discomfort, time, distance. Sure, I can push through with discipline, but the runs aren't enjoyable.

This experience led me to dig deeper into the science, particularly because I'm a skeptic by nature. Is this just a placebo effect? Are these minor cannabinoids actually helping with recovery, reducing inflammation, and improving focus? Or am I just really good at convincing myself they are?

Turns out, the science is fascinating. That legendary "runner's high" we've all heard about? For years, it was attributed solely to endorphins. But recent research suggests it has more to do with our endocannabinoid system than previously thought. A 2021 study in Psychoneuroendocrinology found that the euphoria and reduced anxiety after running weren't dependent on endorphins at all - they were linked to increased levels of endocannabinoids in the blood.

This makes sense when you think about it. Endorphins are too large to cross the blood-brain barrier effectively, while endocannabinoids slip right through. Our bodies naturally produce these compounds during exercise, particularly during moderate-intensity activities like a steady run. It's our internal reward system at work, potentially evolved to make sustained physical activity more enjoyable and manageable.

The endocannabinoid system's role in exercise goes beyond just making us feel good. It's deeply involved in pain management, inflammation control, and recovery. When we exercise, especially during long or intense sessions, we create micro-damage in our muscles and generate inflammation. This is normal and necessary for adaptation, but it's also where cannabinoids might offer unique benefits.

CBD and CBG, in particular, have shown promising effects on exercise recovery. CBD has been demonstrated to reduce inflammation and assist with pain management, while CBG appears to help with focus and muscle recovery. This isn't just theoretical - a 2021 study in Nutrients found that CBD supplementation helped maintain muscle strength and reduced muscle damage markers after intensive resistance training.

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My experience aligns with these findings. On runs without cannabinoids, I'm hyper-aware of every minor discomfort. With CBD and CBG in my system, those sensations fade into the background. It's not that they disappear completely - I'm not numbed to my body's signals - but rather, they become more manageable, allowing me to focus on the actual run.

THC comes into play differently. I reserve it for my long, slow runs where pace doesn't matter. These become almost meditative experiences - the combination of steady physical activity, the rhythmic sound of feet hitting pavement, and THC's ability to enhance sensory experiences creates a unique state of flow. The ocean breeze feels more refreshing, the sunrise more vibrant. But this isn't about getting high and running - it's about finding the right tool for specific training situations.

The real game-changer has been incorporating water-soluble cannabinoids into my hydration mix. The onset is more predictable than with gummies, and the effects seem to align better with the duration of my runs. My current approach is simple but effective - each morning I weigh out my hydration ingredients, add the water-soluble cannabinoids I've sourced, and experiment with different natural flavoring combinations. It's very much a daily experiment - measuring, mixing, and tweaking based on that day's running goals. Getting the taste right has been the biggest challenge - turns out there's a reason why most electrolyte drinks are heavily sweetened.

This brings us to the bigger picture - the future of cannabis in sports and wellness. Right now, the cannabis beverage industry is primarily focused on social occasions and functional daily use, which makes perfect sense. But we're just scratching the surface of what's possible, particularly when it comes to minor cannabinoids and athletic performance.

Think about the massive sports nutrition market - protein powders, pre-workouts, recovery drinks, electrolyte replacements. Now imagine these products enhanced with specific cannabinoid profiles targeted for different athletic needs: CBD and CBG for recovery and focus, THCV for energy and appetite control, CBC for inflammation management. The potential is enormous, but it requires threading a careful needle between efficacy, taste, stability, and compliance

The cannabis beverage industry is at an interesting inflection point. We've mastered the basics - getting THC and CBD into shelf-stable, good-tasting beverages that provide consistent experiences. Brands are successfully carving out their space in social occasions, mood enhancement, and relaxation. But the next frontier? That's going to be about specific use cases and targeted benefits, with sports and exercise being a massive untapped opportunity.

Look at what's happening in traditional sports nutrition. The market has evolved far beyond basic protein shakes. Today's athletes have precise formulations for pre-workout, during workout, post-workout, sleep recovery, and everything in between. Each product is carefully designed for a specific moment in the training cycle. The addition of minor cannabinoids to this ecosystem isn't just logical - it's probably inevitable.

My morning ritual of weighing out electrolytes and cannabinoids might seem excessive to some, but it's taught me something important: there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Some days I need more CBG for focus, others more CBD for recovery. The amounts I use for a quick three-mile run differ from what I want for a long weekend run. This variability is exactly why the future of cannabis in sports nutrition is so exciting - and challenging.

The challenges aren't just technical. While the 2018 Farm Bill opened doors for hemp-derived cannabinoids, the regulatory landscape remains complex. Sports organizations have varying policies on cannabinoid use. Testing standards aren't uniform. And there's still stigma to overcome - many people hear "cannabis and exercise" and immediately think about getting stoned and going to the gym, missing the bigger picture of how these compounds can support athletic performance and recovery.

But the opportunity is too big to ignore. The global sports nutrition market reached USD 45.24 billion in 2023 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% from 2024 to 2030. The functional beverage market is growing even faster. Combine these trends with increasing acceptance of cannabis and growing understanding of minor cannabinoids, and you can see where this is heading.

The brands that will win in this space won't be the ones simply adding CBD to existing sports drinks. Success will come from understanding both the science of cannabinoids and the specific needs of athletes. It will require education, transparency about dosing and effects, and rock-solid consistency in formulation. Most importantly, it will demand products that actually work - athletes are among the most results-driven consumers out there.

My own experimentation with cannabinoids and running has convinced me of two things: first, that there's real potential here beyond placebo effects, and second, that we're just beginning to understand how to harness these compounds effectively. The science is catching up to what many athletes have intuitively discovered - that cannabinoids can be powerful tools for performance and recovery when used thoughtfully.

For the cannabis beverage industry, this represents both an opportunity and a challenge. The easy wins in social occasions and general wellness are already being claimed. The next wave of growth will come from developing products for specific use cases, with sports and exercise being perhaps the most promising frontier. It's not just about adding new products to the market - it's about creating new categories entirely.

As I log my miles and tinker with my morning mix, I can't help but feel excited about where this is all heading. The intersection of cannabis and athletics isn't just about finding new ways to sell products - it's about helping people perform better, recover faster, and maybe even enjoy their workouts a bit more. And for an industry still fighting old stigmas, that's a pretty compelling story to tell.

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Creator Spotlight - Kate Lily

Kate Lily’s journey with cannabis started with a makeshift pipe at 15, but it led her to a career as a certified cannabis educator. Now, she’s on a mission to help people navigate the overwhelming cannabis marketplace with confidence.

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