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Willie Nelson’s THC Drinks Are Here! And San Diego Is Quietly Running the Show
If there’s a patron saint of cannabis, it’s Willie Nelson.
For decades, the country legend has been the guy people picture when they think “good weed, good music, good friends.” But after years of smoking, even Willie had to admit his lungs were over it. He wasn’t done with cannabis, he just needed a new ritual that didn’t involve rolling papers or coughing fits.
That pivot - to something you can sip instead of smoke - brought him straight to San Diego.
The Outlaw Meets the Kombucha Kids
On the other side of this story is Forrest Dein, a Maui-raised surfer who landed in San Diego with a familiar West Coast checklist: chase waves, build something meaningful, and try not to trash your body in the process.
Long before “functional beverages” had their own aisle, Forrest and a few friends were messing around with fermented tea in a dusty garage near North Park. That experiment grew into JuneShine, the organic hard kombucha brand that helped cement San Diego as a capital of “better-for-you” booze.
Their whole thing was simple: real ingredients, transparent labels, and drinks you could enjoy on a Tuesday night without writing off Wednesday. That mindset ended up being exactly what Willie Nelson needed.
When Willie started looking for a smoother way to enjoy cannabis, the JuneShine crew had already proven they knew how to build a modern drinking ritual. Together, they created Willie’s Remedy+, a hemp-derived THC beverage company that translates Willie’s long love affair with cannabis into something you pour into a glass.
What’s Actually in Willie’s New Drinks?
Forget mystery edibles in unmarked baggies. Willie’s Remedy+ is built like a proper beverage line, not a science project.
The core lineup:
THC seltzers at 5mg and 10mg per can
• A stack of hemp-derived THC with CBD, CBG, and L-Theanine for a smoother, more social feel
• Flavors like Black Cherry Lime, Passion Orange Guava, and Strawberry Watermelon
• Around 20 calories per can, lightly sweet, crisp, and easy to sip
If you’re more of a “pour something over ice” person, there are THC spirits bottles, which are 750ml bottles where a 1.5oz pour delivers 5mg or 10mg of THC. They’re bright and citrusy (think lemon-lime-passionfruit) with a gentle cannabis note in the background, designed to be mixed into mocktails or served simply on the rocks.
The idea isn’t to send anyone to another dimension. Willie’s Remedy+ positions its THC drinks as a way to feel relaxed, present, and social - more “pass the guitar around the fire” than “forget where you left your body.”
Why THC Drinks, and Why Now?
Take a walk through any San Diego taproom or backyard party and you’ll notice the pattern: people still want to “grab a drink,” but they don’t necessarily want it to be booze.
There’s the early-morning surfer who doesn’t want to sacrifice the dawn patrol. The parent who wants a little wind-down after bedtime without wrecking sleep. The wellness person who wears a Whoop band and tracks everything. The old-school Willie fan who’s just over the smoke.
Low-dose THC beverages hit that sweet spot:
• Familiar format: a cold can, a clink of glasses, a shared round
• Built-in portion control: 5mg or 10mg per serving, clearly labeled
• A more predictable arc than a random edible, with typical onset around 15–30 minutes and a gentle taper after about 90 minutes
And because Willie’s Remedy+ uses hemp-derived cannabinoids that align with the 2018 Farm Bill, the brand can ship to 36 states, giving it reach that traditional, state-locked cannabis beverages can’t touch.
For fans, it means you can stock Willie’s THC drinks in your fridge almost anywhere in the country. For San Diego, it means a local team helped build one of the most accessible cannabis beverage lines in the U.S.
San Diego: The Quiet Engine Behind Willie’s New Era
San Diego has always been good at quietly changing how people drink.
We did it with craft beer. We did it with kombucha. Now, with Willie’s Remedy+, we’re doing it again, but this time with THC seltzers, THC spirits, and THC shots that feel like they belong at the same party as IPAs and natural wine.
From early experimentation to flavor development and brand voice, the DNA of Willie’s Remedy+ is steeped in San Diego:
• A crew that spends as much time in the water as in the brewhouse
• An obsession with ingredients and transparency
• Branding that feels like an inside joke between old friends, not a cartoon leaf overload
And while the cans and bottles now ship across most of the country through DrinkWillies.com, they still feel like something that could’ve been dreamed up at a North Park potluck or a backyard show in Ocean Beach.
No Wild Claims, Just a Better Way to Cheers
That approach fits both of its main characters:
• Willie, who’s been advocating for cannabis long before it was profitable
• San Diego, a city that knows how to party but also knows how to be up at sunrise for a hike, paddle, or run
The New Willie Ritual
For decades, the classic Willie Nelson image was a joint being passed around a circle. Today, there’s a new version: a can cracking open, a small shot being poured over ice, friends raising glasses instead of lighters.
For Forrest and the San Diego team, it’s proof that a dusty garage experiment can grow up into a national THC beverage company without losing its soul. For Willie, it’s a next chapter that lets him keep doing what he’s always done—bring people together around cannabis—in a way that fits where his body, and the culture, are right now.
And for everyone else?
It’s a simple shift with a big payoff:
You don’t have to light up to raise one, especially when Willie Nelson’s THC drinks are in the cooler, and San Diego is quietly running the show.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Willie Nelson’s THC Drinks Are Here! And San Diego Is Quietly Running the Show
Willie Nelson’s THC Drinks Are Here! And San Diego Is Quietly Running the Show
If there’s a patron saint of cannabis, it’s Willie Nelson.
For decades, the country legend has been the guy people picture when they think “good weed, good music, good friends.” But after years of smoking, even Willie had to admit his lungs were over it. He wasn’t done with cannabis, he just needed a new ritual that didn’t involve rolling papers or coughing fits.
That pivot - to something you can sip instead of smoke - brought him straight to San Diego.
The Outlaw Meets the Kombucha Kids
On the other side of this story is Forrest Dein, a Maui-raised surfer who landed in San Diego with a familiar West Coast checklist: chase waves, build something meaningful, and try not to trash your body in the process.
Long before “functional beverages” had their own aisle, Forrest and a few friends were messing around with fermented tea in a dusty garage near North Park. That experiment grew into JuneShine, the organic hard kombucha brand that helped cement San Diego as a capital of “better-for-you” booze.
Their whole thing was simple: real ingredients, transparent labels, and drinks you could enjoy on a Tuesday night without writing off Wednesday. That mindset ended up being exactly what Willie Nelson needed.
When Willie started looking for a smoother way to enjoy cannabis, the JuneShine crew had already proven they knew how to build a modern drinking ritual. Together, they created Willie’s Remedy+, a hemp-derived THC beverage company that translates Willie’s long love affair with cannabis into something you pour into a glass.
What’s Actually in Willie’s New Drinks?
Forget mystery edibles in unmarked baggies. Willie’s Remedy+ is built like a proper beverage line, not a science project.
The core lineup:
THC seltzers at 5mg and 10mg per can
• A stack of hemp-derived THC with CBD, CBG, and L-Theanine for a smoother, more social feel
• Flavors like Black Cherry Lime, Passion Orange Guava, and Strawberry Watermelon
• Around 20 calories per can, lightly sweet, crisp, and easy to sip
If you’re more of a “pour something over ice” person, there are THC spirits bottles, which are 750ml bottles where a 1.5oz pour delivers 5mg or 10mg of THC. They’re bright and citrusy (think lemon-lime-passionfruit) with a gentle cannabis note in the background, designed to be mixed into mocktails or served simply on the rocks.
The idea isn’t to send anyone to another dimension. Willie’s Remedy+ positions its THC drinks as a way to feel relaxed, present, and social - more “pass the guitar around the fire” than “forget where you left your body.”
Why THC Drinks, and Why Now?
Take a walk through any San Diego taproom or backyard party and you’ll notice the pattern: people still want to “grab a drink,” but they don’t necessarily want it to be booze.
There’s the early-morning surfer who doesn’t want to sacrifice the dawn patrol. The parent who wants a little wind-down after bedtime without wrecking sleep. The wellness person who wears a Whoop band and tracks everything. The old-school Willie fan who’s just over the smoke.
Low-dose THC beverages hit that sweet spot:
• Familiar format: a cold can, a clink of glasses, a shared round
• Built-in portion control: 5mg or 10mg per serving, clearly labeled
• A more predictable arc than a random edible, with typical onset around 15–30 minutes and a gentle taper after about 90 minutes
And because Willie’s Remedy+ uses hemp-derived cannabinoids that align with the 2018 Farm Bill, the brand can ship to 36 states, giving it reach that traditional, state-locked cannabis beverages can’t touch.
For fans, it means you can stock Willie’s THC drinks in your fridge almost anywhere in the country. For San Diego, it means a local team helped build one of the most accessible cannabis beverage lines in the U.S.
San Diego: The Quiet Engine Behind Willie’s New Era
San Diego has always been good at quietly changing how people drink.
We did it with craft beer. We did it with kombucha. Now, with Willie’s Remedy+, we’re doing it again, but this time with THC seltzers, THC spirits, and THC shots that feel like they belong at the same party as IPAs and natural wine.
From early experimentation to flavor development and brand voice, the DNA of Willie’s Remedy+ is steeped in San Diego:
• A crew that spends as much time in the water as in the brewhouse
• An obsession with ingredients and transparency
• Branding that feels like an inside joke between old friends, not a cartoon leaf overload
And while the cans and bottles now ship across most of the country through DrinkWillies.com, they still feel like something that could’ve been dreamed up at a North Park potluck or a backyard show in Ocean Beach.
No Wild Claims, Just a Better Way to Cheers
That approach fits both of its main characters:
• Willie, who’s been advocating for cannabis long before it was profitable
• San Diego, a city that knows how to party but also knows how to be up at sunrise for a hike, paddle, or run
The New Willie Ritual
For decades, the classic Willie Nelson image was a joint being passed around a circle. Today, there’s a new version: a can cracking open, a small shot being poured over ice, friends raising glasses instead of lighters.
For Forrest and the San Diego team, it’s proof that a dusty garage experiment can grow up into a national THC beverage company without losing its soul. For Willie, it’s a next chapter that lets him keep doing what he’s always done—bring people together around cannabis—in a way that fits where his body, and the culture, are right now.
And for everyone else?
It’s a simple shift with a big payoff:
You don’t have to light up to raise one, especially when Willie Nelson’s THC drinks are in the cooler, and San Diego is quietly running the show.
Members of the editorial staff of San Diego Reader were not involved in the creation of this content.