The drink mixes cannabinoids with electrolytes and adaptogens to support post-workout recovery, hydration and relaxation, the duo says \u2014 the “clean alternative to alcohol” that Samson was seeking. In a few months on the market, Last Rep has been picked up by roughly a dozen local bars, liquor stores and even gyms and wellness institutions. The goal, Samson and Ashton say, is to get Last Rep in 50 to 100 stores across Florida by the end of the year before branching out to other states.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just felt like we could do it better,\u201d Samson says of the first push for Last Rep. \u201cI told Jay I wanted something that was low in calories and had all the positive effects of alcohol but you could drink quite a few of them so you could still go out and be social, but also wake up fresh and ready the next morning. Then Jay came up with the idea behind Last Rep, of marketing it to the everyday athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Last Rep goes far beyond just marketing to athletes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Its unique formula, created by Ph.Ds in a Tampa-based distillery, is a first-of-its-kind combination of fast-acting THC, its derivative CBG \u2014 referred to as the \u201cmother of all cannabinoids,\u201d adaptogens and electrolytes in a zero-sugar, six-calorie seltzer. That means Last Rep, its founders say, can ease anxiety, provide feelings of light euphoria and reduce stress while also hydrating the body and helping muscles recover post-workout, reducing pain and inflammation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe name Last Rep just popped into my head because this drink is like the \u2018last rep\u2019 of the day,\u201d Ashton says. \u201cWhether I\u2019m drinking one immediately post workout or I\u2019m grabbing one to go hang out with friends and be social or I\u2019m coming off a 12-hour work day and, instead of reaching for another glass of wine, bourbon or a beer, I grab one of these instead. That\u2019s my last rep of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘A clean buzz’<\/p>\n
Yes, drinking Last Rep will show up on a drug test, the company warns. But the hemp-derived Delta-9 THC variant offers a lot more than a traditional \u201chigh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s going to give you a little bit of euphoria,\u201d Ashton says. \u201cIt’s going to completely relax you because of not only the THC, but all the other functional ingredients. And when you start picking at those individual ingredients, holy shit, there’s a lot more benefits to it than smoking weed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consumers have the option of purchasing 5 mg or 10 mg cans of Delta-9THC per serving. The athletic recovery drink also has \u201cmore electrolytes than Gatorade,\u201d Ashton says, as well as potassium, sodium and magnesium for optimal hydration, muscle relaxation, fluid balance and energy production. Other ingredients include L-Theanine, Ashwagandha and ginger extract for digestion, stress relief and enhanced recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Rep now comes in lime or orange flavors, though Ashton says he likes to mix the two together in a bubbly, citrusy cocktail.<\/p>\n
Ashton and Samson soft-launched Last Rep in December after an initial production run of 14,000 cans, premiering the beverage at St. Petersburg\u2019s High and Dry Festival. Within 90 days, Last Rep was being sold online and at roughly a dozen retailers, bars, and athletic facilities throughout Tampa Bay. Those include Lukens Wine & Spirits, Herban Flow, Southern Grounds, Pour House, Gaspar\u2019s Liquor Shoppe and even Burg CrossFit in St. Petersburg.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You can grab a Last Rep before or after your sauna at Embers and Ice in Tampa and the drink is even being sold at Be Bold physical therapy center in St. Petersburg. Last Rep has also popped up at local events, Samson says, like the Florida Shamrock Distance Classic and Raymond James Stadium\u2019s FitFest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Samson and Ashton are both serial entrepreneurs. Samson had actually retired from AccuHealth, a patient monitoring company he founded and scaled in the medical device sector, and was traveling the world with his wife when he approached Ashton.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ashton, meanwhile, was working as the president and CEO of GPS tracking company CallPass, and had also launched a multi-platform sports show called Casual Chaos Live. Both men brought more than two decades of experience building brands when they teamed up to create Last Rep. And they found success by building off their self-funded idea the same way they built companies, they say: knowing the limits of their own expertise and hiring specialists to fill in the gaps. The pair declined to disclose how much money was invested in starting Last Rep. \u00a0<\/p>\n
A co-packing partner handles manufacturing, sources ingredients for their expert-created formula and completes required testing before production runs. The THC itself, though, comes from Minnesota-based supplier Virtuosa, which produces nano-emulsified cannabinoids. That process disperses THC more evenly throughout the liquid, making for a more predictable experience for the drinker than traditional THC beverages or edibles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Stephen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/_K9A2210_t850.jpg\" "\\"Stephen")
<\/p>\n
Stephen Samson and Jason \u201cJay\u201d Ashton hope to get Last Rep in 50 to 100 stores across Florida by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
Photo by Mark WempleHarshing my mellow<\/p>\n
Still, selling their hemp-derived THC product \u2014 while legal \u2014 comes with challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 2018 Farm Bill, officially the Agriculture Improvement Act, made it legal to sell products containing THC so long as it\u2019s derived from hemp \u2014 even in states like Florida where laws forbid the sale of\u00a0recreational cannabis products. In November, though, Congress approved a spending bill that also set a one-year deadline to close the hemp loophole by adding new restrictions that have yet to be seen by the industry, Samson says.<\/p>\n
The second big challenge facing Last Rep and other beverages like it is marketing, Samson says. Regardless of legal classification, social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Google and \u201call things meta and digital\u201d consider THC a drug and place tight restrictions on the way it\u2019s marketed online. Bots search the web, trolling for keywords that indicate a recreational drug is being sold and then \u201cshadowban\u201d products, Samson says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On top of that, the state of Florida places extra restrictions on how these products are marketed so they don\u2019t appeal to children.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scrutiny goes so far as you can\u2019t use certain color palettes in your marketing, you can\u2019t use people, you can\u2019t use animals acting like people,\u201d Samson says. \u201cI think the perception is still, \u2018Hey, this is a drug and we don\u2019t know what to do with it,\u2019 and that\u2019s the biggest hindrance we\u2019ve faced when it comes to selling product. Every state is a little bit different.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, Samson and Ashton are focused on spreading Last Rep throughout Florida. After that, Texas is next, the partners say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far, everyone who has tried it \u2014 at least in front of me \u2014 says it\u2019s delicious, and I think it’s really starting to get a groundswell here locally,\u201d Ashton says. \u201cWhenever we\u2019re at an event, most of the time people think it\u2019s an energy drink, then they see it\u2019s THC and they ask me: \u2018Is this going to get me high?\u2019 I\u2019ll look at them and say, \u2018Have you ever pointed to a can of alcohol and asked, \u2018Is this going to get me drunk?\u2019 Then you ask them if they would like a 5 milligram or 10 milligram can and that same person who asked you, \u2018Am I going to get high?\u2019 a moment earlier will smile and go, \u2018I\u2019ll take the 10.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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