rewrite this title and make it good for SEOCircle K to sell hemp THC beverages nationwide in 2026

Significant things for the THC beverage sector are afoot at the Circle K.

The ubiquitous roadside retailer and convenience store chain plans to start selling hemp-derived THC beverages in as many as 3,000 stores nationwide sometime next year, company officials told MJBizDaily.

That’s after Circle K rolls out hemp THC beverages produced by Horticulture Co. and branded by former NBA star Allen Iverson in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida sometime in the final quarter of 2025.

It’s the latest and most ambitious step into the cannabis space for Circle K, which made a limited incursion into hemp drinks earlier this year in Georgia.

And it’s also the most recent and possibly the most prominent example of a mainstream retailer embracing a THC product.

“This partnership makes the brand one of the most accessible in the space overnight and boosts awareness of the category within one of the most trusted retail environments, all while reinforcing both brand credibility and consumer confidence,” Saf Sadiq, Horticulture’s CEO, told MJBizDaily on Wednesday.

“It’s about as close to a national rollout as the industry has seen to date – and the largest in scale by any chain retailer.”

National rollout for a cannabis product in mainstream retail

Circle K’s partnership with Horticulture Co. also realizes a years-long effort by the Quebec-headquartered retail giant to add cannabis products to its shelves.

A 2022 landmark deal to co-locate medical marijuana dispensaries operated by major multistate operator Green Thumb Industries with Circle K gas stations in Florida fell apart after state MMJ regulators rejected the idea.

That shouldn’t be a concern for hemp-derived THC beverages, which for now lie outside of regulated cannabis channels in the United States.

Circle K made limited incursions into hemp-derived THC in Georgia and Florida earlier this year.

After launching the Iverson drinks in the Carolinas and Florida, Circle K plans to expand hemp beverages “across Circle K’s U.S. store network in states where THC products are authorized for sale” sometime in 2026, according to the company.

Produced in partnership with Viola, the company founded by fellow former NBA star Al Harrington, the Iverson THC drinks will have 10 milligrams of THC per can, according to convenience store trade publication C-Store Dive.

Major milestone for hemp THC beverages – and cannabis industry

If the nationwide expansion plans are realized, the potential is immense – as are the implications for the $32 billion U.S. cannabis industry as it exists.

Circle K and its parent company, Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche Tard, operate nearly 10,000 stores in North America in 48 U.S. states and 10 Canadian provinces.

Many observers believe that cannabis products sold alongside other consumer products on mainstream store shelves rather than in dispensaries or marijuana-only stores is the industry’s next major evolution.

“Not only does Circle K’s adoption of Iverson’s product confer major legitimacy to the hemp sector, it’s a further wake-up call to the cannabis industry,” said Steve Schain, a cannabis-focused attorney and of counsel at Malkin Law.

“Like it nor not, the marketplace embraces hemp-derived intoxicants as warmly as it does naturally occurring delta-9 THC.”

Third major retailer to carry hemp-derived beverages

Circle K is also at least the second major retail chain to jump into the burgeoning hemp drink sector in October.

Earlier this month, big-box giant Target announced it would begin selling hemp THC beverages at 10 of its stores in Minnesota, where state law allows hemp products to be sold at mainstream stores.

And that follows major liquor retailer Total Wine & Spirits’ embrace of hemp beverages.

Observers said the development is more confirmation that consumers want access to THC products regardless of whether state lawmakers can pass legalization.

“The cannabis community is resilient and resourceful, and Circle K clearly saw the opportunity to give the people what they want – just like Target and Total Wine have done in previous weeks and months,” said entrepreneur Josh Kesselman, the founder of RAW Rolling Papers, which are also found at Circle K locations.

“The genie is not going back in the lamp at this point with consumer trends going towards hemp beverages and away from alcohol.”

Hemp THC’s popularity continues despite lingering questions of Farm Bill redo

Notably, neither of the Carolinas allow any regulated cannabis access outside of tribal areas, though hemp products can be found in both states.

Florida has a relatively robust MMJ program where several MSOs active there have also branched out into the hemp space amid stalled efforts to pass a constitutional amendment legalizing adult-use cannabis.

Major retailers are turning toward hemp-derived THC products in spite of strong signals from state and federal lawmakers that they’re not satisfied with the status quo for hemp products created by the 2018 Farm Bill.

“Circle K has taken a great leap forward among very uncertain waters,” Schain said.

The Farm Bill, signed into law in December 2018 by President Donald Trump in his first term, legalized hemp production nationwide – and led to an unintended and unexpected proliferation of intoxicating hemp THC products nationwide, including in many states where cannabis remains illegal.

That’s led to prohibition-minded politicians in states such as Texas to move to ban the products.

However, in that state, considered the largest individual hemp market in the country, Gov. Greg Abbott opted instead to impose regulations including minimum purchase-age requirements.

Meanwhile, in Congress, hemp advocates like Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell are intent on closing what they now decry as a “loophole” and recriminalizing product offerings like the Iverson beverages at Circle K.

But with opposition from within his own party and state – one attempt to redefine hemp under federal law was thwarted earlier this summer by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul – hemp products remain ambiguously legal in the U.S. and absolutely available.

That should lead to more big chains following in Circle K and Target’s footsteps, Raw’s Kesselman predicted.

“Until the Farm Bill changes, if it changes at all, expect more major retailers to open their shelves to cannabis products,” he said.

Chris Roberts can be reached at chris.roberts@mjbizdaily.com.