The tally of cannabis seizures at the Peace Bridge running between Canada and the U.S. increased yet again last week when U.S. border officers in Buffalo discovered a commercial shipment with more than a ton of weed.

Canopy Growth Corp., the cannabis company that attracted Corona beer producer Constellation Brands Inc. as an investor, is moving to bring cannabis beverages to the U.S. in 2021.

The drinks will contain THC, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana, in dosage amounts designed to keep people buzzed and social in a similar way to beer, cocktails or wine.

“Just as hard seltzer disrupted beer by providing a lighter, low calorie alternative, we believe cannabis beverages will be an attractive option for what have traditionally been alcohol-driven occasions and mood states,” said David Klein, Canopy’s chief executive officer, in an email exchange with Bloomberg News.

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It seems that determining the value of cannabis seized by police is all about potential, with a bit of PR mixed in.

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Canopy Growth Corp.’s plan to launch cannabis-infused drinks in the U.S. marks the latest attempt by a marijuana company to position itself for a possible weed beverage boom.

The Ontario-based company has licensed rights to its cannabis drinks line in the U.S. to Acreage Holdings Inc., which is expected to soon provide more details. The move comes at an opportune time -- the pot industry is hopeful for U.S. legalization as soon as 2021 and Americans are drinking less alcohol during the coronavirus pandemic.

By the end of 2020, the legal cannabis industry is expected to surpass US$15 billion. But the money that weed generates on the illicit market far exceeds that amount.

Tracking exact figures is tricky because anonymous dealers and criminal networks aren’t exactly sharing sales data with the media. But estimates approximate the illicit market is more than four times the size of its legal market.

More specifically, New Frontier Data values the U.S. illicit. Per Statistics Canada, less than 30 per cent of Canadian cannabis users acquire their goods exclusively from licensed retailers.

After nearly a year of next-to-no deal-making, cannabis companies are gearing up for mergers and acquisitions as realistic stock valuations and the prospect of U.S. legalization attract buyers to a sector that has been decimated by oversupply and other issues, executives and investors say.

Profitable cannabis companies want to buy their way into niche segments and expand their brands, betting that the November U.S. presidential election will lead to weed becoming legal across the United States. Distribution deals could also help companies reach consumers who have shown an increased appetite for pot products since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

The chief executive officer of Canopy Growth said this week he expects the United States will legalize recreational marijuana at the federal level in 2022.

Speaking to CNBC’s Jim Cramer on his show Mad Money, David Klein said that the growing number of U.S. states legalizing weed will inevitably lead to broader support in Congress that will, in turn, eventually force lawmakers to remove cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.