We're proud to share that 23rd State founder Leah Kollross was recently featured on the National Cannabis Industry Association blog with a piece that gets at something we think about every single day: why the cannabis beverage industry has a credibility problem, and what it's actually going to take to fix it.
You can read the full piece here: The Cannabis Beverage Industry's Credibility Gap — And How Real-World Research Can Close It
We're grateful to NCIA for the platform and proud to contribute to an industry-wide conversation that we believe is long overdue. Below, we've summarized the core argument — and why it matters not just to us as a brand, but to every operator, retailer, regulator, and consumer in this space.
The Category Is Growing. The Trust Isn't.
Cannabis beverages are one of the fastest-growing segments in the broader cannabis and hemp marketplace. Consumers are reaching for infused seltzers, drink enhancers, and THC-infused tonics at an accelerating pace, driven by growing curiosity about alcohol alternatives, shifting wellness norms, and the cultural momentum of the sober-curious movement.
But growth alone doesn't build trust. And without trust, this category is building on sand.
The uncomfortable truth Leah names directly in the NCIA piece is this: most cannabis beverage brands make claims about their products — onset time, duration, consistency, mood effects — that are rooted in anecdotal feedback, internal testing, or simply what sounds compelling in marketing copy. That's not a criticism aimed at any single brand. It's a structural problem across the entire category.
We're asking consumers, retailers, distributors, and regulators to take us at our word in a market where few players have invested in the kind of evidence base that other consumer packaged goods categories take for granted. Less than 5% of cannabis beverage manufacturers invest in third-party validation. That gap has consequences: retailers hesitate to allocate shelf space to products with unsubstantiated performance claims, legislators lack the data they need to craft sensible regulation, and consumers who have one inconsistent or disappointing experience may not come back to the category at all.
What Real-World Research Actually Looks Like
The piece centers on an initiative that we believe represents exactly the kind of industry leadership this moment calls for: the MoreBetter Real-World Infused Beverage Study.
MoreBetter is a contract research organization specializing in real-world data collection for functional and consumer wellness products. Their ongoing Infused Beverage Study is one of the largest ever conducted on THC- and CBD-infused beverages, spanning multiple cohorts, thousands of participants, and a wide range of product formats and brands.
The study design matters. Participants consume infused beverages over a multi-week period and self-report daily on their alcohol use, mood, sleep, and perceived product effects. The results from Cohort 1 were striking: the probability of daily alcohol use dropped meaningfully during the product-use phase, and the vast majority of participants reported that infused beverages felt safer for their health than alcohol. Nearly half of participants were trying an infused beverage for the first time — a powerful signal that this category is reaching genuinely new consumers, not simply converting existing cannabis users.
But the deeper value of this research lies in what the data is starting to reveal as the study progresses into its second cohort: measurable, product-level differences in onset, duration, and consistency. Not all THC beverages perform the same way. Now there's a dataset large enough to prove it.
Why 23rd State Participates — And Why It's Personal
At 23rd State, we made the decision to include our products in the MoreBetter study because we believe product validation is an obligation to our consumers, not just a marketing advantage. When you submit your formulations to independent, real-world testing, you're committing to transparency. You're saying your products can stand up to scrutiny, and that you trust the data to tell the story.
You can explore our approach and findings on our research-validated THC beverages page.
But in the NCIA piece, Leah goes further than the business case. She makes it personal — because for her, it is.
Leah was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2023, the same year she founded 23rd State. Cannabis beverages gave her a way back into social moments without compromising her health. That lived experience is why she cares so deeply about getting the science right. When a product makes a promise about onset, duration, or consistency, there are real people on the other end of that promise — people managing chronic conditions, people navigating medication regimens, people who have already had to give up enough and deserve to trust what they're consuming.
The demand for trustworthy, research-backed cannabis beverages isn't hypothetical. It's deeply personal for a growing number of consumers. And it's one of the core reasons 23rd State exists.
What This Means for the Broader Industry
From Leah's seat on the NCIA Human Resources Committee, the policy landscape is evolving rapidly. Legislators are making decisions about how to regulate hemp-derived products with limited data at their disposal. Every operator that participates in legitimate, independent research contributes to a shared body of evidence that strengthens the entire industry's position with regulators, buyers, and the public.
The argument Leah makes in the piece is direct: we cannot ask for reasonable regulation while simultaneously refusing to produce the evidence that would support it. Research participation isn't a cost center. It's an investment in the legitimacy and longevity of every business operating in this space.
The brands that lead on evidence will lead this category. Full stop.
A Thank You to NCIA
We want to take a moment to sincerely thank the National Cannabis Industry Association for publishing this piece and for continuing to create space for substantive, evidence-forward conversations about where this industry is headed.
NCIA has long been the backbone of organized advocacy for the cannabis industry at the federal and state level. As an NCIA member and committee contributor, Leah's ability to publish on the NCIA blog reflects the kind of collaborative, cross-operator dialogue that actually moves the needle — not just for individual brands, but for the category as a whole.
If you work in cannabis beverages — whether as an operator, retailer, investor, or policy advocate — we encourage you to read the full piece. And if it raises questions about your own brand's approach to product validation, that's exactly the conversation we hope it starts.
Read the Full Piece
The Cannabis Beverage Industry's Credibility Gap — And How Real-World Research Can Close It — published on the NCIA Committee Blog, April 15, 2026, by Leah Kollross, Founder of 23rd State.
Recommended
- Why Half of THC Beverage Consumers Don't Buy
- Why People Really Drink THC Beverages
- How People Actually Use Infused Beverages Data Study
- Why How Fast You Feel It Changes Everything
- Here's What the Sleep Data from the Study Showed.
- What Happens to Your Smoking Habit When You Switch to a Cannabis Beverage?
- THC Beverages, Onset Time, Duration & No Hangover Data
- What Infused Beverage Shoppers Tell Us About Purchases
Results referenced from the MoreBetter Real-World Infused Beverage Study are observational in nature. Individual results may vary. 23rd State products contain THC and are intended for adults 21+ only.
