Cannabis Investment Club

[JohnCM]

Coca-Cola Not Going to Pot, Says CEO

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey says the company has no plans to develop drinks or any other products infused with CBD, the non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Oct 30, 2018 11:41 AM EDT

Coca-Cola Co. (KO - Get Report) has no plans to enter the cannabis space, despite multiple reports to the contrary.

Speaking on a conference call with analysts following the company's third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, Oct. 30, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said the company has no plans to develop drinks or any other products infused with CBD - the non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that treats pain but does not induce a high.

"We don't have any plans at this stage to get into the space. So that's kind of where we are," Quincey said, according to a FactSet transcript of the call. Shares were up about 2% in midday trading; they have gained approximately 2.8% in 2018.

Coca-Cola last month said it was monitoring the nascent cannabis industry, and was potentially interested in exploring drinks infused with CBD. The Atlanta-based soft drinks maker was reportedly in talks with Canadian marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB - Get Report) to explore the development of beverages, according to Bloomberg News.

"I believe that down the road CBD/nutritional supplement beverages will be a significant soft drink sector," said Charles Taerk, president and CEO of Toronto-based Faircourt Asset Management. "The CEO of Coke has not said he wouldn't go in the sector - he just said not now."

Norman Levine, a partner and portfolio manager with Toronto-based wealth management firm Portfolio Management Corp., noted on Twitter on Tuesday that Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ - Get Report) , a wine and spirits maker that has more recently pivoted to pot, had "no business" investing $4.5 billion in Aurora based on expectations that it would team with the likes of Coca-Cola.

"I don't think Canadian pot stocks have been expecting this," Levine tweeted. "Proves that $STZ is a lone wolf and had no business investing $4.5 billion in $WEED. Money that will be proven, over time, to have been pissed away."

Marijuana became a legal substance to purchase and use in Canada on Oct. 17, following the government's passing of Bill C-45. Cannabis-focused companies including Aurora and Constellation have exploded in Canada as investors have piled in on expectations of future growth and profits.