CannaDrinks may be all the rage in some parts of the world, but in Canada, there are some serious health concerns surrounding new products being formulated

Sure it sounds cool, to order some cannabis-infused drinks at the bar for you and your buddies. However, a leading food safety expert is warning that these cool drinks may be dangerous, and the public (apparently) needs to take note.

While a $245 million deal was penned between Constellation Brands and Canopy Growth last week, for a 10 percent stake of CP, Canada’s largest cannabis producer, to produce the new CannaDrinks, Rick Holley claims the drinks are problematic, “[Producers] could screw this all up if they don’t get into the mechanics of how to safely prepare and develop new food products,” he said, adding, “They could kill people!”

BNN reported that Constellation Brands told them via email that the company, “has a long-standing commitment to producing products with the highest quality standards and that comply with all regulations.”

According to Lawrence Goodridge, a McGill University food safety expert, alcohol has the advantage of killing bacteria and toxins in sealed bottles or cans, whereas cannabis-infused products may not, “Because cannabis is a plant, there are certain concerns — like the possibility of pesticides used in production, or the type of fertilizer used, or the potential presence of heavy metals that could be toxic to humans,” said Goodridge, adding that, “Bacteria like e-coli or listeria that could be on the plant and that could make it onto the food, whether it is drinks or edibles, the risk is the same — but alcohol is special because we know that helps to kill some of those toxins.”

And if that wasn’t enough controversy, other issues include the fact that it is hard to trace the exact amount of THC, the main active compound in cannabis, in beverages, and that could cause people to ingest too much.

Goodridge concluded by confirming that guidelines need to be put in place by organizations like Health Canada, “Guidelines will need to be drawn up and typically Health Canada or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would then need to have a consultation period when the public can comment. So these things take time,” he said.