Chicago United Center will sell THC beverages at concessions
Chicago’s United Center is stepping into a new arena for live events, becoming the first major U.S. arena to offer cannabis beverages in its concessions.
The arena hosts the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. It was announced on Tuesday A multi-year partnership with Rythm, a hemp-derived THC beverage company that produces Rythm and Señorita branded beverages to sell cans at concerts and live events.
The drinks will be aimed at adults 21 and over and will be sold alongside alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
“We’re seeing consumers prefer it in liquor stores, in venues, in restaurants, and so we’re in a period where consumers are looking for alternatives,” said Ben Kovler, CEO of Green Thumb Industries, which owns a stake in Rythm.
“We know consumers want these things,” Kovler said. “They don’t believe in hangovers, they want alternatives.”
Consumer interest in hemp-derived THC products has been growing steadily in recent years. According to a study conducted by consumer researcher Brightfield Group and cited by Bernstein, 14% of U.S. adults reported using some type of hemp-derived THC product in the first quarter of 2025; This rate was only 8% the previous year.
“As we continue to evolve offerings for our guests, RYTHM’s Chicago roots make the beverage line a natural fit for the United Center experience,” United Center COO Joe Myhra said in a press release.
The drinks will be available during concerts at the venue from early February and will serve as a test case for cannabis in mainstream venues even as lawmakers debate tightening rules in the category due to safety concerns.
Kovler said product sales will be aligned with security and compliance measures that comply with Illinois law, but the company did not specify service limits or monitoring protocols.
“The American consumer is very familiar with self-dosing and self-adjusting the beverage,” Kovler said. [THC] gummy — it’s difficult for most Americans to eat just one gummy.”
THC regulation turmoil
Last year Congress passed a funding bill that effectively included a limit on THC Most hemp-derived THC products (the same category currently sold at the United Center) are banned starting in November.
While public health advocates argue that the market has outpaced regulations, industry groups have warned that a blanket ban could disrupt billions of dollars in consumer sales.
This legislation was followed by revisions to the 2018 Farm Bill that added exceptions to the federal definition of hemp. In fact, the changes closed the so-called hemp loophole and could make most hemp-based THC drinks illegal within a few months, preventing further policy changes.
Lawmakers in both houses of Congress have already legislation Keeping intoxicating cannabis products legal until 2028. A separate bipartisan invoice A regulation has also been introduced that would create a regulatory framework for intoxicating cannabis drinks and CBD products, giving the industry hope for change before the current expiration date.
“The timing in the government and the rules is never good and it is never clear,” Kovler said. “It’s all murky but we’re driven by the consumer and that gives us a lot of confidence when betting on this.”
In addition to the policy change, the Trump administration moved last year to reclassify marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act; The change sent marijuana stocks higher and raised questions about taxation, banking access and federal oversight.
While the rescheduling primarily affects the state’s legal marijuana businesses rather than hemp-derived products, it signals a growing willingness in Washington to reconsider decades-old marijuana policy.
If policy momentum continues, it could open the door for more marijuana-related products to enter mainstream venues, but that could come with some risk, analysts say.
“Investing in marijuana remains a volatile and challenging endeavor, and it is not for the faint of heart,” Bernstein analyst Nadine Sarwat wrote in a recent research note.
