*By Jacqueline Corba and Carlo Versano* Adolphus Busch V, the great-great-grandson of the founder of Anheuser-Busch ($BUD), has set his sights on the cannabis market. But unlike other industry players, he's not looking to make cannabanoid-infused alcoholic beverages. "I'd rather not ingest the calories in beer," Busch said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar. Instead, Busch has launched ABV Cannabis, a marijuana start-up that operates in Colorado and sells disposable vape pens filled with cannabis oil. For now, he wants to stick to smokeable products and next plans to bring pre-rolled joints to market. He hopes to brand ABV as a healthy alternative to the very product that made his family unimaginably wealthy. "Cannabis is clearly a substitute for alcohol," he said. "I think cannabis and living a healthy, active lifestyle go hand in hand." The beverage scion saw the growing cannabis market firsthand while he was a student at Colorado State University at a time when the state was just starting to legalize recreational pot. The industry raked in [$1.5 billion](https://www.denverpost.com/2018/02/10/colorado-pot-sales-2017-border-towns/) last year in that state alone. Busch said that his family is on board with his venture, though it no longer controls Anheuser-Busch. Busch's father was the last member of the dynasty to run the company ー it was taken over by InBev in 2008 after 150 years of family ownership. Busch said after he graduated college, he tried to get a job at the beverage giant his great-great-grandfather founded but that he was turned down. Anheuser-Busch said in a statement to Cheddar that it would not comment on personnel matters. For Busch, the brewery business is ancient compared to that of cannabis, which he thinks is full of potential. "I always wanted to create a legacy of my own," he said. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/anheuser-busch-heir-launches-weed-start-up).
