Cheech and Chong’s time may finally have arrived, man. In Minnesota, at least.

With Minnesota on the verge of formally legalizing recreational cannabis, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, who became famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective, or your parents’) in the 1970s for their pot-centric comedy records and performances, have launched their own brand of THC-infused seltzer drinks.

The Minnesota connection? Duluth-based Bent Paddle Brewing, which is producing the non-alcoholic beverages for Cheech and Chong. They officially launched in Duluth on Thursday, April 20 (“420” has deep significance in the weed world) and are currently available in Duluth and the Twin Cities, with more Minnesota markets to follow. The four flavors—Raspberry Highball, Magic Mule, Citrus Sunrise, and Grapefruit Twist—provide five milligrams of delta-9 THC per can, the limit Minnesota allows (as of now).

Cheech and Chong’s seltzers aren’t uncharted territory for either party. Cheech and Chong already have their own cannabis company. As for Bent Paddle, it jumped into the cannabis market when low-dose THC edibles were legalized last year in Minnesota. It has its own line of THC- and CBD-infused sparkling waters, and it has opened a ”Cann-A-Lounge” for sampling those buzzy wares, which include Bent Paddle-branded gummies.

Looking to branch out into beverages, Cheech & Chong Co. saw Minnesota’s low-dose market as an opportunity. David Knight, whom Cheech & Chong Co. hired as its chief beverage officer last November (his background includes Gatorade and tequila, as well as CBD potables), connected with White Bear Lake-based Superior Molecular, which supplies the hemp emulsion Bent Paddle uses in its drinks and edibles. Superior Molecular then referred Knight to the Duluth brewery as a potential manufacturer.

“We got along really well,” says Bent Paddle cofounder and head marketer Laura Mullen. Once Bent Paddle began production, “David said, ‘Why don’t we have the launch in the Cann-A-Lounge?’” The 4/20 launch event included a DJ spinning appropriately groovy tunes, a screening of Cheech and Chong’s 1978 movie Up in Smoke, and munchies from Duluth’s Hungry Hippy Tacos. (And yes, the fellas have sampled the new line and given their thumbs up.)

Not to harsh anyone’s mellow, but will young people know who Cheech and Chong are? “The awareness is pretty high among the younger group, but it’s not as high as it is for that 40s-to-60s age group,” Knight acknowledges. Still, he believes that “we’re going to see a huge resurgence for Tommy and Cheech as these beverages get more distribution.”

Cannabis-based products have provided a welcome high for Bent Paddle’s bottom line. “Craft beer has had a rough time because of the pandemic,” Mullen says. “The rise of canna products has really been helping our company, so we’re very happy to be co-manufacturing as well as making our own.”

Bent Paddle’s seltzers are made using hemp raised by Two Harbors-based Finnegan’s Farm, which is then processed by Superior Molecular. “We’re really proud to be using clean Lake Superior water and hemp grown on the North Shore,” Mullen says. “It’s 100 percent Minnesota made.”

There have been concerns among other Minnesota producers of THC and CBD beverages that the recreational legalization legislation working its way through the capital would add new regulations and restrictions on products containing THC. For now, Mullen’s staying chill on the bill. Cannabis beverages have become a distinctive niche in Minnesota, she says. “So far what we know through our lovely legislative reps here in Duluth, they’re trying to protect the low-dose hemp market, which is the market we want to stay in,” Mullen adds.

Bent Paddle is certainly not the first Minnesota brewer to dive into the “cannabeverage” market; several Twin Cities-area brewers have been selling THC-infused for a while now. Earlier this year, Fair State Brewing Cooperative even rolled out plans to open a cannabis beverage distribution center at its St. Paul facility.