Credit: Stockton Brewing Company.

The Stockton Brewing Company has released the UK’s first beer infused with cannabis oil, or cannabidiol (CBD), called Buffalo Soldier.

The product has been described as ‘refreshing and blonde’ by the Teeside brewery, is named after a Bob Marley song and has a suggested retail price of £3.50 per bottle.

A spokesperson for the brewery said: “The first batch will be ready in six weeks and after many enquiries, we’ve got a feeling the product will be in demand and sell out quickly.”

CBD is one of the active cannabinoids identified in cannabis, but does not contain the psychoactive part of cannabis, meaning CBD-based products are legal in the UK. Cannabis’ psychoactive cannabinoid is called tetrahydrocannabinol.

CBD can be bought in UK pharmacies and is a popular treatment for inflammation, pain, anxiety, seizures. Many scientists and drug companies are studying CBD’s potential as a treatment for conditions as arthritis, diabetes, anti-biotic resistant infections and epilepsy. The UK therapeutic cannabis industry is the largest in Europe.

Buffalo Soldier follows the trend of growing popularity of cannabis-based drinks in the US and Canada where cannabis is legal for medicinal purposes.

The first high-strength cannabis-infused beer was launched in the US in 2015. It was produced by Colarado-based Dad and Dude’s Brewery and the range of cannabis beers produced was named Canna-Beer.

More recently, Province Brands filed a technology patent in Canada to produce a beer which will be brewed with cannabis rather than barley. Also, two Canadian companies have created a joint venture to formulate cannabis-infused beverages on a large scale.

Buffalo Soldier follows the launch of Europe’s first CBD-infused water, Love Hemp Water, in UK supermarket Ocado. Every 500ml bottle contains 2mg of hemp extract that contains CBD.