Kava has long been used in the South Pacific for its relaxing effects. Mary Jane's Relaxing Soda includes sugar to cover up the "awful taste" of kava. The drink was introduced by a Denver-based company but is sold primarily in southern California, which accounted for 70 percent of its market as of late 2009. The name "Mary Jane" is a reference to marijuana, although the relaxing constituents of kava are not chemically related to cannabis.[2]