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They might be a match made in heaven.
Sunstone Winery board president Teddy Cabugos and Splash Nano’s co-founder Kalon Baird have created a 5-milligram hemp beverage that they believe will one day replace alcohol at sports venues and in everyday life as a healthier alternative.
“Anywhere alcoholic beverages are sold you should be able to buy one of these products,” Cabugos said. “That’s stadiums, concession stands, anywhere you can buy an alcoholic beverage for sale, you should be able to buy one of these.”
Hemp beverages are currently not legal in California, but Cabugos and Baird are crusading to educate lawmakers and advocating to legalize the product. In this podcast, the two discuss the health and science behind the drink, what it is and what it isn’t, and their efforts to put it in every grocery store in California.
“There really is no risk to the public if you serve 2.5 to 5 milligrams to people,” claims Baird, the scientist behind the drink.
“It’s basically like a supplement,” Baird said. “It’s one more thing that is natural.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom implemented an emergency ban against hemp beverages in September of 2024. But Cabugos and Baird say that the ban was targeted at bad actors who were trying to sell large doses.
The cannabis industry has also been largely against hemp-derived products out of concerns about competition, say Cabugos and Baird.
Cabugos, who is well-known as the face of Sunstone Winery, has been meeting with a variety of tourism professionals to build awareness around legalizing low-dose hemp. Baird is the product developer who creates the product from his industrial office space in Goleta.
Cabugos has traveled all over the world trying to educate people about hemp products, under the Sunstone Brand. On June 7, 2025, he will throw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium, a place he hopes to sell hemp beverages one day, before the game against the New York Mets.
Check out the podcast conversation above to learn about the effort.
Joshua Molina is journalist who currently writes for Noozhawk and teaches journalism at Santa Barbara City College. He formerly covered politics and land use for the San Jose Mercury News. Santa Barbara Talks is an independently owned podcast where Molina looks to bring together voices from all perspectives to discuss and provide solutions to the challenges related to housing, education, transportation and other community issues. Subscribe to his podcast here and consider a contribution here.
“}]] They might be a match made in heaven. Sunstone Winery board president Teddy Cabugos and Splash Nano’s co-founder Kalon Baird have created a 5-milligram Read More
