Target Expands Involvement In Hemp THC Drinks Market With 72 New Licenses In Minnesota

Major retailer Target is expanding its participation in the hemp-derived THC beverage market, even as a federal law is set to ban the products later this year.

Last year, the company began a pilot program involving sales of cannabis drinks at 10 select stores in Minnesota. That apparently went well, and now the company has obtained licenses from Minnesota regulators to sell lower-potency hemp edible products—including THC drinks—at all 72 of its stores in the state.

According to a review of Office of Cannabis Management data, Target, which is headquartered in Minnesota, now holds more lower-potency hemp edible licenses in the state than any other company.

The new licenses were obtained on April 1 and will last for a year.

The move comes months after Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed legislation that will recriminalize hemp-derived products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container.

Bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have pushed for a delay in the scheduled ban, which is set to take effect in November, but those efforts have not gained traction with congressional leadership.

Under Minnesota law, holders of lower-potency hemp edible licenses can sell products containing up to 5 milligrams of THC per serving, with a maximum of 50 milligrams of THC per package. Beverages can have a maximum of up to 10 milligrams of THC per container.

THC drink brands that were included in Target’s initial launch included Birdie, Cann, Find Wunder, Gigli, Hi Seltzer, Indeed, Señorita, Stigma, Surly, Trail Magic, Wyld and Wynk.

It’s not clear whether Target’s involvement in the hemp market at a greater number of its stores with the new licenses will stay focused on the beverage category or if it will involve other kinds of products, and representatives for the company did not immediately respond to Marijuana Moment’s request for comment.

A poll from the cannabis telehealth platform NuggMD last year found that marijuana consumers were encouraged by Target’s decision to start selling THC beverages—with a majority saying the marketing move makes them more likely to shop at the retail giant’s stores.

Respondents were asked: “Does knowing this make you more likely to shop at Target in the future?”

A total of 50.5 percent said they would be more likely—though that notably includes 34.4 percent who said they’d only be more inclined to patronize Target if their local store carried the THC beverages. Another 16.1 percent said “yes” because they “want to support the retailer more now regardless of which locations sell the products.”

About half of respondents (49.5 percent) said Target’s embrace of a THC drink pilot program wouldn’t affect where they shop.

Here’s a full list of Target’s new hemp licenses in Minnesota:

License Number	License Type	Legal Business Name	Retail Site Address	License Issued	License Expiration
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1001 S 13th Street, Virginia, MN 55792	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	111 Pioneer Trail, Chaska, MN 55318	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	11990 N Business Park Boulevard, Champlin, MN 55316	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	125 SE Lincoln Avenue, Saint Cloud, MN 56304	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1300 NE MN-55 Highway, Buffalo, MN 55313	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1300 W University Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	13201 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55305	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1329 SE 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55414	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1370 S MN-15, Hutchinson, MN 55350	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	14333 MN-13, Savage, MN 55378	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1447 E 7th Street, Monticello, MN 55362	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	14546 N Dellwood Drive, Baxter, MN 56425	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1500 NE 109th Avenue, Blaine, MN 55449	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	151 Tyler Road, Red Wing, MN 55066	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1515 W County Road B, Roseville, MN 55113	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	15150 Cedar Avenue, Apple Valley, MN 55124	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	15300 N Grove Circle, Maple Grove, MN 55369	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	15560 Pilot Knob Road, Apple Valley, MN 55124	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	15800 NE 87th Street, Otsego, MN 55330	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1650 New Brighton Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN 55413	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1685 E 17th Avenue, Shakopee, MN 55379	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1744 Suburban Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55106	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1750 S Robert Street, West St. Paul, MN 55117	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	18275 Kenrick Avenue, Lakeville, MN 55044	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1850 Adams Street, Mankato, MN 56001	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	1902 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, MN 55811	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2000 Cliff Lake Road, Eagan, MN 55122	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2000 NW Bunker Lake Boulevard, Andover, MN 55304	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2021 Market Drive, Stillwater, MN 55082	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2080 Ford Parkway, Saint Paul, MN 55116	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2100 NW Paul Bunyan Drive, Bemidji, MN 56601	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	215 N Balsam Street, Cambridge, MN 55008	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	21615 S Diamond Lake Road, Rogers, MN 55374	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2199 E MN-36, North Saint Paul, MN 55109	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2323 S MN-3, Northfield, MN 55057	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2410 S Pokegama Avenue, Grand Rapids, MN 55744	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2500 E Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55406	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2505 S 1st Street Willmar, MN 56201	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	2555 W 79th Street, Bloomington, MN 55431	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	300 Clydesdale Trail, Medina, MN 55340	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	301 Park Drive, Owatonna, MN 55060	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	3300 NW 124th Avenue, Coon Rapids, MN 55433	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	3301 E US-10 Highway, Moorhead, MN 56560	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	356 SW 12th Street, Forest Lake, MN 55025	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	3601 MN-100, Minneapolis, MN 55416	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	3800 N Lexington Avenue, Shoreview, MN 55126	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	3827 NW Marketplace Drive, Rochester, MN 55901	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	4175 N Vinewood Lane, Plymouth, MN 55442	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	4201 W Division Street, Saint Cloud, MN 56301	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	4404 S MN-29 Highway, Alexandria, MN 56308	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	449 Commerce Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	4611 SE Maine Avenue, Rochester, MN 55904	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	4848 County Road 101, Minnetonka, MN 55345	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	5537 W Broadway Avenue, Crystal, MN 55428	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	6445 Richfield Parkway, Richfield, MN 55423	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	7000 S York Avenue, Edina, MN 55435	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	7200 Valley Creek Plaza, Woodbury, MN 55125	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	749 Apollo Drive, Lino Lakes, MN 55014	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	7535 W Broadway Avenue, Brooklyn Park, MN 55428	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	755 NE 53rd Avenue, Fridley, MN 55421	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	7841 Amana Trail, Inver Grove Heights, MN 55077	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	7900 N 32nd Street, Oakdale, MN 55128	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	810 W County Road 42, Burnsville, MN 55337	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	8225 Flying Cloud Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	851 W 78th Street, Chanhassen, MN 55317	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	860 Mankato Avenue, Winona, MN 55987	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	8600 NW Springbrook Drive, Coon Rapids, MN 55433	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	8655 E Point Douglas Road S, Cottage Grove, MN 55016	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	875 E Main Street, Waconia, MN 55387	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	8900 MN-7, St. Louis Park, MN 55426	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	900 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403	4/1/2026	4/1/2027
LPDIS-L25-000423	LPHE Retailer	Target Corporation	975 County Road E, Vadnais Heights, MN 55127	4/1/2026	4/1/2027

Target’s new license expansion was first reported by Brewbound.

In Minnesota in particular, hemp beverages have been a mainstay even before the state moved to legalize marijuana for adult use.

Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed legislation in 2022 making it so all hemp-derived cannabinoids including CBD could be legally sold in food items, beverages, topicals and more—as long as the products contain less than the federal limit of 0.3 percent THC. Edible and beverage products are limited to a total of 5 mg THC per serving and 50 mg per package.

About a year later, former Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL), who championed the state’s legalization law over multiple sessions, announced plans to launch his own hemp beverage company.

The mainstreaming of cannabis beverages comes as recent poll shows that a majority of Americans believe marijuana represents a “healthier option” than alcohol—and that most also expect cannabis to be legal in all 50 states within the next five years.

Another survey found that four in five adults who drink cannabis-infused beverages say they’ve reduced their alcohol intake—and more than a fifth have quit drinking alcohol altogether.

Target isn’t alone in joining the cannabis train as state laws continue to evolve.

Home Depot, one of the largest employers in the United States, last year shifted its employee drug testing policies to remove cannabis from screening panels entirely and stop pre-employment drug testing of most of its workers, according to a document obtained by Marijuana Moment.

In 2022, Amazon, the second largest private employer in the U.S., also backed a Republican-led bill to federally legalize, tax and regulate marijuana. It previously expressed support for a separate, Democratic-led legalization bill. Amazon has also worked to adapt to changing marijuana policies internally as it’s backed congressional reform, enacting an employment policy change in 2021 to end drug testing for cannabis for most workers, for example.

Meanwhile, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States recently entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with a hemp THC beverage company, with a licensing branding deal that will support a variety of veterans services and promote cannabis drinks as a potential alcohol alternative with the drinks being available at VFW posts across the country.

Separately, while Target is apparently moving into the THC drink space, the airline Virgin Atlantic denied satirical and false claims earlier this year from a cannabis beverage company about a deal to sell its THC-infused beverages on flights.