US Naval Academy Prohibits Cadets from Consuming New CBD Drink by Pepsi

Recently, the United States saw the debut of Rockstar Unplugged, a new energy drink containing CBD, launched by Pepsi. At the same time, the administration of the US Naval Academy issued a statement declaring that current and prospective cadets are not allowed to consume this drink. The reason cited is that the CBD molecules present in the beverage could potentially cause false positives during routine drug tests administered to students.

Although the production of industrial hemp and CBD extracts derived from such plants was legalized back in 2018, in practice, many Americans working in government agencies, the armed forces, law enforcement, and certain private companies still do not have access to even harmless cannabis-derived products. This is due to the risk of failing mandatory drug tests for psychoactive substances. While some regions in the country have already passed laws limiting the practice of drug testing employees of private companies for marijuana use, these rules do not apply to federal employees, who are still formally subject to strict criminalization policies enforced by the federal government.

“Today marks the national launch of Rockstar Unplugged, a drink containing CBD extract from industrial hemp seeds. It is quite possible that, at the concentrations present in the drink, the substance could show up during routine drug tests for marijuana use administered to cadets,” the academy administration noted in their statement. “Accordingly, to avoid unnecessary incidents with false positive test results, we recommend that all current and prospective students of the academy refrain from consuming this product.”

Interestingly, the academy administration paid such close attention to a drink containing CBD, a compound not detected in tests for THC metabolites, which is another cannabinoid. It is possible that, like many other branches of the US armed forces and federal agencies, the academy is trying to remind its personnel that federal government employees are still subject to strict criminalization directives. On the other hand, considering that the substance is now legal, it is also possible that the academy is simply echoing the position of the Navy headquarters, which has long established that active-duty and reserve Navy personnel are not permitted to consume products containing THC or CBD due to the psychoactive properties associated with these substances.