Guide to Choosing the Right Edible When Buying Online
Leave a CommentBuying an edible online can be difficult. Unless you have prior experience with the product, you are operating a rather high level of uncertainty when making your purchase. Aside from reviews, you’re largely left with going off your gut assumption.
In fairness, the same can be said about many dispensary experiences as well. While you may come across an edible as an add-on, you’re otherwise guessing on how good the product will actually be.
That said, there are tell-tale signs that you can use online and in the store to determine which edible is the right to buy for you. Here are some of the key factors to consider when buying the right edible online or in a dispensary.
Factors to consider when purchasing edibles:
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Quality of Packaging
Packaging is a massive component of cannabis products. Most states require strict guidelines to ensure that products are resealable and safe from children. While many products meet and exceed these standards, online purchases can be hit or miss at times. Unfortunately, customers don’t have the advantage of an in-store experience to find out before purchasing physically.
That said, consumers can look at the product online to get an idea for a quality product and its package. Each item should come in a resealable, child-proof box or packaging. Additionally, it should be appealing. While you shouldn’t judge the book by its cover, we have to admit that the cover helps get us looking at the book if we aren’t sure of what we want. A visible logo and simple packaging should be the prelude to an amazing edible experience that awaits inside.
Or, as Dr. John Oram of the award-winning chocolate edibles, NUG (no relation) explains, “ I need to be drawn into the product before I buy it. After purchase, I expect the edible product to be delicious and have no cannabis flavor whatsoever.” He added, “I have the same standards for cannabis edibles as I do for non-cannabis edibles. I need to enjoy eating it. Otherwise, why am I eating it?”
Comprehensive Labeling Info
Labeling is another component of the package a consumer needs to look out for. In short, make sure the product you buy is full of information.
Is it clear what the item is? How about the company that’s making it? Going beyond the bare necessities for compliance, does the item list its strain information, cannabinoid profile, farm source or other key information? If it doesn’t consider another option.
Jonathan Teeters, General Manager of the CBD Division for edible brand Azuca, wants to see products for clear selling points that buyers want to know. “I like to look for obvious callouts on the things that indicate they are positioning themselves for mainstream retail and customers: emblems and logos for gluten-free, kosher, organic, fair trade, GMP compliant, etc.”
Ease of Use and Versatility
The days of DIY edibles and product uncertainty need to be over. By now, dosing should be fool-proof with edibles. We are dealing with sophisticated brands operating like any other major producer in the market. If your product gives you any sort of uncertainty around dosing, look elsewhere.
Don’t even settle for an edible that is somewhat hard to dose. Furthermore, don’t settle for anything other than pre-divided pieces or edibles that are accurately dosed and/or listed on its measuring chart.
Another point worth considering is the product’s versatility. Can it be easily added to other items? Does it allow for consumers to be creative with its consumption? If so, then it could be one of the better edibles to consider.
Portability and Discretion
Not many consumers want to show off that they’re consuming cannabis. The last thing they want to do is to draw attention to themselves with edibles that are overt and hard to dispense. These lower quality items tend to be better suited for the home. Slightly improved products are portable. However, good luck taking it out in public for more than a few minutes without someone catching on.
A high-quality edible will be discreet and easy for communal use. Products made with professional-grade packaging and labeling helps keep consumption inconspicuous. As does easy to portion and dispense microdosed products. Combining these features will leave just about anyone assuming you are sharing a piece of candy with a friend.
Gourmet Taste
Remember, we’re talking about edibles here. A product may be checking off all the right boxes until it touches your taste buds. If that’s the case, then it’s going to be a hard and justified pass on that one. Edibles should be delicious and resemble your favorite gourmet snacks made with rich, complex flavors. These are snacks that don’t taste like flower and instead remind you of your favorite cannabis-free snacks.
If you can’t try one before you buy, get reviews up front. Or, sample a friend’s edibles if they’re up for sharing. Otherwise, you’re paying for a blind taste test.
Tolerable, Even Pleasant Texture
There’s always that one candy or snack that you love but hate to the mess that comes with it. For me, as a kid, it was those push-up ice cream pops. They tasted delicious but left my hand and arm covered in sticky ice cream. But hey, that’s being 16, am I right?
While you won’t be able to feel the product, try to get reviews or watch sample videos describing how the edible handles. Is it hard to ingest, or make a mess on your hands or the floor? How’s it feel when chewing?
Overall, you want an edible that feels good on your tongue and won’t have half of its getting stuck on your fingers or in the carpet. Easy to handle should be the name of the game.
A Consistent Experience
Much like its taste, an edible’s effectiveness can crush any promising edible that fails to live up to its effects. The edible should provide consumers with the measured effect that is stated on the package. It should be effective and deliver no adverse effects when consumed.
Once proven to be effective, the edible should be consistent. Regardless of what piece off of which bar is eaten, you should know how this piece affects your body. If there is any guesswork involved, it may be time to switch to a new item.
One way to ensure that a product is effective and consistent is to look for lab tests. Companies should offer these results on their website or at the request of a consumer. As Dr. Oram explains, “I expect the product to be fully lab tested for potency and safety. I expect to see a statement or label from the lab indicating the test results and the date of testing. I expect the test results to be close to the label claims and I expect the date of testing to be relatively recent, within the last few months.”
A Price That Matches Quality
One final make or break component is going to be the price. With some edibles costing exorbitant sums of money, not every item fits into a consumer’s budget. As such, find an edible that fits your budget while having a reputation as a consistent, flavorful and potent. You want bang for your buck. Make sure the two align.
If you live in the Los Angeles area and are ready to buy your favorite edible online, click here to see if Nugg Club delivers to your address!
5 Ways Vaping at Home Beats Braving the Bars
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Getting elbowed by strangers. Feeling half a pint of beer drench your jacket from behind. Having to shout just to hear what your friend is saying. No matter how you slice it, going out drinking is overrated.
Sure, it can be fun to occasionally hit up your favorite low-key neighborhood bar with friends for a beer or two. But going out quickly loses its appeal once you’re actually at the bar. It’s one of those activities that sounds fun and exciting in theory, but in practice, it simply becomes a headache.
This week at Nugg, we’re opting to skip the bars and stay home with a tasty vape pen. If you’re thinking about braving the local bar scene, read our top five reasons to stay home instead!
What you'll learn in this article:
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1. Save Some Serious Cash
Going out to the bar comes at a price – literally. Each pint you order at the bar will cost about as much as a whole six-pack of craft beer from your local grocery store or beer shop.
If you have a couple of drinks, you could easily spend $25 or $30 in a single hour when you include tax and tip. (And you should always tip if you’re going out!) Expect to spend double that amount if you’re covering drinks for a friend.
Instead of wasting that much cash in just a few hours at your local bar, why not pick up your favorite vape cartridge? You’ll enjoy a pleasant buzz, AND you’ll have a product at home that will last you much longer than a single night — that is, unless you’re some sort of Snoop Dogg weed prodigy.
2. Avoid the Next-Day Hangover
Ask any cannabis enthusiast about getting stoned versus getting drunk, and they’re likely to bring up the hangover that inevitably follows a night of alcohol consumption. If you’re an infrequent drinker (like I am), you may even feel hungover the next day from just two or three drinks.
Why wake up with a dizzy head and a queasy stomach in the morning? Cannabis will help you relax, have fun, and get a good night’s sleep, allowing you to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day!
And unlike alcohol, which can leave you combating nausea and/or diarrhea the next morning, cannabis actually helps relieve stomach ailments! You can’t go wrong!
3. Choose Your Own Crowd
Have you ever walked into your favorite bar, only to find that it’s packed with strangers being loud and obnoxious? Or even worse, have you seen some surly drunk trying to start a fight with another bar patron while their friends desperately try to talk them down?
Yeah, being around drunk people sucks. Yet another reason going out can be a bummer.
Skip the strangers, the rough and rowdy crowds, and the shoulder-to-shoulder wall of bros that’s somehow always blocking access to the bar. When you stay home with cannabis, you get to assemble your own crowd by inviting friends, neighbors, or roommates over for a vape session. Or skip the company altogether and have a solo session!
Plus, with everyone chilling out over cannabis instead of drinking themselves stupid, there’s virtually zero chance of a fight breaking out. Why put up with all the noise and discomfort while standing in a crowded bar when you and your friends could be chilling on the couch at home with a vape pen in-hand?
4. Be Your Own DJ
The inside of a bar can get loud, and we mean LOUD. As if the volume weren’t bad enough, you may also be subjected to music that you can’t stand. If there’s a band or a DJ performing, you’re at the mercy of their musical tastes. Even if there’s just a jukebox, you’ll have to pony up some cash if you want to hear songs that you actually enjoy.
When you stay home, you can pick the music you and your friends listen to. Spin your favorite records, put together a playlist on Spotify or Soundcloud, or skip the music altogether. You can even put on a movie – which will seem like a luxury if you’ve ever been stuck in a bar with the TV set to a never-ending sports game (unless that’s your thing).
5. Choose Your Own Effects
Alcohol only has two speeds: buzzed or drunk. Sure, you can choose between different types of alcohol, but they’re all going to deliver the same mind-numbing, speech-slurring effects.
With cannabis, you can dial in your desired effects. Trying to stay awake and talkative? Choose a sativa strain. Playing board games? A hybrid strain sounds perfect. Ready to wind down at the end of the night? Bring on the indica strains!
Vaping gives you even more precision over the effects that you feel. You don’t have to smoke a whole joint or bowl; just take a puff or two and see how you’re feeling.
Our current faves are the Himalaya Red Dragon Sativa vape cartridge and the HoneyVape Blackberry Kush cartridge.
The Red Dragon cartridge by Himalaya offers an uplifting, euphoric head high that’s derived from an Afghani landrace strain crossed with a South American sativa. It’s the perfect strain for laughing and reminiscing with friends during a fun night in.
If indicas are more your speed, the Blackberry Kush cartridge by HoneyVape will not disappoint. Expect insane terpenes from this Afghani x Blackberry indica strain – seriously, it’s one of the most flavorful vape cartridges I’ve ever tried.
You’ll enjoy the sweet taste of berries with every inhalation and exhalation, and the effects are incredibly soothing and fast-acting.
If you’re an experienced indica consumer, this strain will help you chill out while remaining social or even active. It’s also the perfect nightcap at the end of a fun evening at home – overindulge in Blackberry Kush and you may end up feeling like a melted pat of butter spread out over your couch. But don’t worry; you won’t feel any pain come morning!
Ready to stay in and vape? Check out the menu at Nugg! You and your friends can kick back, relax, and let the dispensary come to you!
How Cannabis Is Meeting the Needs of Today’s Consumer
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With brands like Grubhub and Blue Apron becoming household names, our cultural shift towards online shopping and home delivery is nothing new. Now that legal cannabis has exploded onto the mainstream scene, let’s look at how this formerly underground industry is developing to meet the needs of the modern consumer.
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Convenience Is King
The booming on-demand economy thrives on the fact that people value convenience above all else. In fact, convenience is a commodity people are willing to pay a little extra for.
The popularity of meal delivery kits is a perfect example. Blue Apron founder and CEO Matt Salzberg recently told CNBC, “Every other retail category has been disrupted by e-commerce, and the same is now happening with food. It’s interesting to see all of this innovation happening.”
Similar to food and other consumable commodities, on-demand cannabis delivery services offer the same convenience in states where recreational marijuana is legal. If you think avoiding the grocery store is convenient, imagine how nice it feels to bypass a crowded dispensary. Since only a few customers are allowed inside a dispensary at once, you never know how long you’ll be waiting.
Here at Nugg, we want to make life easier for you! Designed to deliver exactly what you want, we consider ourselves the “Grubhub of cannabis.”
Our model saves you time and a trip to the dispensary without giving up the expertise of a professional budtender. Nugg’s Cannabis Concierge is available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have. Before purchasing you can ask an expert about different products, dosages and effects from the comfort and privacy of home.
Time Is Money
America’s legal cannabis market is projected to grow to $24 billion by 2025, and those dollars aren’t coming from the deep recesses of your stereotype stoner’s couch cushions. Today’s upscale cannabis consumers are CEOs, healthcare providers, and busy parents striving to juggle the demands of a fast-paced life.
Streamlining service for cannabis consumers offers the same efficient experience as grocery delivery and other helpful online businesses. Not only does Nugg save you the time traveling to and from a dispensary, a quick chat with our Cannabis Concierge reduces your overall time spent shopping. That leaves you with more precious minutes to spend as you wish.
We Like Options
One of the major benefits of meal kits and grocery delivery services is the variety they introduce to your dinner table without the hassle of hunting down obscure ingredients. These services make a wide assortment of options available to consumers, no matter where they live.
For people with limited choices in nearby grocery stores, food delivery may be more of a necessity than a luxury. Similarly, cannabis delivery services allow patients and recreational consumers to sample a diverse array of products from various dispensaries.
Personalization Is Crucial
In addition to changes in the way we acquire goods, the shopping experience as a whole is evolving to satisfy consumers’ individual tastes.
Take, for example, the monthly wine subscription expertly curated based on your personal palate, or a fashion box full of clothes someone selected to suit your unique style.
Even your dog can get a regular delivery of his favorite treats and goodies. Isn’t it only natural to expect the same personalized service with pot?
This white paper on The State of Retail states, “In the US, 59% of consumers want real-time personal offers designed especially for them.” Even more than that, though, they want expertise. “78% feel sales associates should have a deep knowledge of the entire product range.”
Lab Tested Products
Long-time cannabis consumers who shopped on the black market understood that the flower and edibles they purchased weren’t lab-tested for purity or potency. But without other options, they had to accept the risk that they were consuming products that could be significantly stronger (or weaker) than they wanted. Likewise, they couldn’t be sure the strain they just purchased was free of contaminants, like pesticides and heavy metals.
As cannabis use is legitimized and licensed dispensaries open their doors, consumers can trust that they are receiving lab tested products, ensuring THC levels are accurately labeled and contaminants have been removed. This not only delivers a safer experience, but also a more flavorful one.
Full-Service Cannabis
At Nugg, we couldn’t agree more. That’s why we’re proud to offer the industry’s first full-service cannabis experience.
A Cannabis Concierge is there for you, at any hour, to help find the most effective products for your needs. Have medical or legal questions? These tried-and-tested experts can answer anything marijuana related so you can use it with complete confidence.
Now that scientific research is available to explain the various effects of different cannabinoids and terpenes, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Nugg’s friendly, knowledgeable Cannabis Concierges are ready to share current cannabis information and apply their expertise to meet your needs.
Our Cannabis Concierge isn’t a sales team and never pressures you to buy a product, they only provide facts to empower you to make the best decision. We only partner with dispensaries that adhere to the highest quality customer service, always ensuring an easy and pleasant experience.
Cannabis Access Under Attack: You Have Only Days to Take Action
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The Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) will allow access to cannabis throughout the state, as Prop 64 intended, if we can keep this addition to the BCC’s proposed permanent regulation package: Sec. 5416 (d) A delivery employee may deliver to any jurisdiction within the State of California.
What you'll learn in this article:
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The State of Cannabis Delivery in California
Currently, 73% of California’s municipalities completely block Prop 64 and access to medical marijuana. In these municipalities, residents can’t buy cannabis from a dispensary, order cannabis delivery, and, in most cases, can’t even cultivate it because the regulations are too restrictive. (Huge permitting fees and adjacent structures with unrealistic setbacks, for example.)
This isn’t what the vast majority of voters intended when they approved legalization. As a result, reasonable access to cannabis is non-existent in nearly three-quarters of the state.
Both the Bureau of Cannabis Control and the State Legislature have attempted to enact regulations or legislation that would fix this problem. Senator Ricardo Lara recently introduced SB 1302 that would have eliminated delivery bans as well. It suffered the fate of most bills–it never even made it to the House.
Each time a governing body has attempted to clarify that delivery should be allowed everywhere, it faced staunch opposition from special interest groups that wish to defy the will of the voters. These special interest groups say that the BCC’s proposed regulations would defeat Prop 64’s intent to maintain local control over cannabis regulations.
But there’s a difference between maintaining local control over reasonable regulations and completely banning cannabis throughout most of the state. In many of the districts that completely ban cannabis access, the voters overwhelmingly approved of Prop 64, but their public representatives continue to defy their will. As a result, cannabis patients who NEED access to their medicine are being forced back into the black market.
Why We Must Allow Cannabis Delivery
Prop 64‘s original intent and purpose includes a provision that preserves the power of local municipalities to ban local adult-use businesses. However, this doesn’t explicitly allow these municipalities to ban cannabis delivery to residents from state-legal businesses. Again, the opposition’s liberal interpretation of the local-control provision has resulted in a complete ban of cannabis activity in 73% of the state. These bans have led to a massively lower state-revenue than predicted, and an explosion in black market activity.
Since the initiative explicitly states its first intent and purpose is to “take non-medical marijuana production and sales out of the hands of the illegal market,” it’s obvious that this statement takes precedence over their broadly-interpreted, implicit interpretation of Business and Professions Code 26200:
(a) Nothing in this division shall be interpreted to supersede or limit the authority of a local jurisdiction to adopt and enforce local ordinances to regulate businesses licensed under this division, including, but not limited to, local zoning and land use requirements, business license requirements, and requirements related to reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, or to completely prohibit the establishment or operation of one or more types of businesses licensed under this division within the local jurisdiction.
Adherence to this section doesn’t require allowing municipalities to completely ban delivery, especially if using such a liberal interpretation would allow bans in most of the state and cause an explosion in black-market activity.
However, adherence to Sec. 3 Intents and Purposes (a) would require allowing delivery everywhere, now that we have seen the results of the ban.
The BCC is simply enacting a regulation that they’re required to by law, and they’re being attacked by special interest lobbies for doing their job.
How You Can Help
We need to let the BCC know that they have the people’s support in enacting this much-needed piece of regulation. You can help us support the BCC, cannabis delivery and the legal market in two different ways.
First, if you’re in town, attend the BCC’s upcoming Cannabis Advisory Committee and let them know you back delivery everywhere and want to end the black market.
- August 20, 2018 at 10:00 am
- Hilton Sacramento Arden West, Grand Ballroom
- 2200 Harvard Street, Sacramento CA 95815
Second, if you can’t swing by on the 20th, write the BCC at BCC.comments@dca.ca.gov and let them know that you support their implementation of delivery in Sec. 5416(d).
But hurry! You only have until August 27th to let them know you’ve got their backs! If we don’t show massive public support for this regulation, we could permanently lose access to legal, safe cannabis in most of California.
How Cannabis Delivery Benefits Local Communities Like Yours
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Whether it’s baby diapers or a bacon-of-the-month club, it’s common to shop online and have goods delivered to your door.
For patients and consumers, professional cannabis delivery services offer the same modern convenience with added bonuses – like avoiding running into your child’s teacher. Most of all, cannabis delivery preserves safe and easy access for those who rely on cannabis to treat chronic and painful conditions.
With proposed changes to California legislation that may make cannabis delivery more accessible, it’s important to consider how this can benefit your community.
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How Does Cannabis Delivery Help Patients?
Cannabis delivery provides a much-needed service to medical patients, especially those who can’t travel to dispensaries or have a caretaker deliver their medicine. For elderly patients, people with disabilities, and anyone who suffers mobility restrictions, delivery may be the only salvation.
“I think that’s the key aspect that really drives the conversation about why cannabis delivery is really essential,” says Juli Crockett, Ph.D., Director of Compliance for cannabusiness licensing consulting firm, MMLG.
Since only about 30% of California municipalities have cannabis ordinances in place, the nearest licensed dispensary may be very far away. Depending on where you live, you might need to drive over 200 miles to buy medical marijuana. That’s a long way to travel, even for someone without mobility issues.
Advocates are fighting to make cannabis delivery available everywhere in California, regardless of a city or county ban.
“I’m very concerned about preserving safe patient access at reasonable prices with reasonable taxation,” Crockett says. “Equitable access isn’t just about disability in the form of physical ailment,” she added, referring to the profound transportation costs many patients face.
In addition to the hardship of travel, cannabis delivery relieves a financial burden from medical patients. Mobile delivery services have less overhead costs than brick-and-mortar dispensaries, which means savings passed on to you, the patient.
“Delivery services make accessing cannabis more cost-effective and convenient,” agreed Laura Geftman, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and addiction recovery specialist who blogs about cannabis at Welcoming Weed. “Cannabis delivery allows patients to promote their health and receive medicine without overexerting themselves.”
Another advantage of MMJ delivery? Timely arrival. You can get your medicine immediately after you receive a medical marijuana recommendation. If you’re in New York or California and need certification, NuggMD can help!
Benefits to Consumers
Even if you’re not a medical marijuana patient, you probably appreciate the convenience of home delivery. Whether it’s getting a pizza in under 30 or a curated wine selection (or both?), you can order about anything. So it makes sense to expect the same convenience when buying cannabis.
Beyond ease, delivery services offer privacy that may be critical if you prefer to keep your personal habits to yourself.
“Some users are still in the cannabis closet,” says Geftman. “They don’t want anyone to know they use cannabis, no matter what their reason may be.”
Parents, in particular, may not want to be seen entering or leaving a dispensary. Studies show that more parents are smoking weed than ever before, but face restrictions that others don’t.
Aside from the potential fear of jail, parents can’t enter a dispensary with children under 18. If you have kids, you might need a babysitter to run a quick errand. With the abundance of tasks parents already have to manage, cannabis delivery gives a well-deserved break.
How Safe Is Cannabis Delivery?
There are concerns about cannabis delivery vehicles being targets for theft, but the fact is legal delivery services are under strict watch.
“Every point is watched,” says Crockett, “there are really intense controls at every level of the supply chain.”
Licensed cannabis delivery services provide a much safer alternative to black market sales.
Sergeant David Woolsey of the San Jose Police Department told the Huffington Post that there’s only been one incident during the first year home delivery, and the driver wasn’t harmed.
Woolsey added that there are probably higher rates of violent crime among black market sales; those are harder to track.
The thriving cannabis black market poses risks not only to consumers, but to businesses that comply with current regulations.
“We have an incredibly hyper-regulated, licensed industry that is being gutted – I mean just eviscerated – by the unlicensed illicit market,” Crockett notes. “There’s no way they can compete without an enforcement effort that’s equal to the level of regulation.”
Since many black market buyers typically purchase cannabis at home, delivery offers the same convenience without breaking the law.
“Cannabis delivery businesses help discourage black market sales by generally making them unnecessary,” says Joe Goldstein, Director of SEO and Operations for Trailblazer SEO. “When legitimate businesses can offer fair pricing, better products selections, better transparency, and the convenience of mobile ordering, there’s significantly less incentive to buy from the black market.”
Fair pricing may be a challenge, though. As Crockett points out, dispensaries and delivery services alike face regulations and taxes that don’t apply to black market sales.
But those rules and regulations are in place to protect the consumer, the business, and the employees.
“In many ways, the cannabis sales process is way more regulated than pharmaceuticals,” Crockett says, citing the example that you could easily pick up Oxycontin at a CVS drive-thru. Yet once cannabis enters the conversation, it’s out of the question.
“That’s the thing that blows my mind every day about being in the cannabis industry…We’re engaged in this monumental process of untangling many years of prejudices, propaganda, prohibition and misinformation.”
Now that open, intelligent cannabis discussions are taking place, Crockett predicts concerns and issues are inevitable. After all, public safety is the primary focus.
So, will licensed cannabis delivery services eventually wipe out the illicit industry and offer safe, convenient access?
“This is a complex, highly political, very nuanced process that’s going to take time.”
Will Statewide Cannabis Delivery Soon Be Allowed?
In the summer of 2018, the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) proposed a regulatory amendment that will allow cannabis delivery to all California jurisdictions, regardless of local laws. This would reopen access in the 73% of California’s municipalities who ban everything. The BCC is expected to make a decision sometime in January of 2019. If approved, cannabis will become more accessible throughout the state, strengthening communities from San Diego up to Cresent City, thereby improving lives and creating a greater sense of well-being.
Does your local dispensary deliver cannabis? Search Nugg’s Marketplace to see what dispensaries will bring your favorite flower, vape, edible and more right to your doorstep.
Mary’s Medicinals Review: Transdermal Patch, CBD Capsules & More
13 CommentsThis post explores and reviews one of the most revolutionary product-manufacturers in cannabis — Mary’s Medicinals, a company that has pioneered a new form of cannabis consumption.
As you’re probably aware, there are almost as many ways to ingest medical cannabis as there are reasons for ingesting it. But you may not realize there are new cannabis products you put ON your body instead of IN your body, and these delivery methods are making the whole industry take notice.
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About Mary’s Medicinals
Starting in 2013, Colorado-based Mary’s Medicinals, a company dedicated to advancing medical marijuana technology, began distributing transdermal patches and topical gel pens that are carefully dosed, beautifully packaged, and highly effective. Today, the entire line of Mary’s Medicinals cannabis products are finally available wherever marijuana is sold legally. Thanks to great cannabis delivery services like Nugg, your THC-infused patch is just a few taps or clicks away!
The best part about Mary’s revolutionary new way to administer marijuana is the head-spinning array of choices. If we’re just talking about transdermal patches (don’t worry, I’ll get to the other exciting products shortly), you can get the 2 “x2” medicated patch in the following varieties: 10mg of CBD , CBN , THC or CBD/THC; and 20mg of indica or sativa.
We put Mary’s new medicated patches to the test below, but first we’ll look at the history of the patch itself. After all, transdermal patches are nothing new. You probably know of nicotine patches used for smoking cessation, but did you realize that transdermal patches have been around since 1979, when the FDA first approved them for administering the drug scopolamine to combat motion sickness? Since then, the patch has delivered everything from birth control to vitamin B12.
In many ways, a medicated adhesive patch is the ideal way to ingest cannabis. Most importantly, it releases the cannabinoids in a constant, controlled manner. This time-release property is a perfect complement to the medicine’s analgesic effects, and it may be the most convenient way to take your medication ever – stick one and done.
Do Mary’s Medicinals Transdermal Patches Work?
In a word, yes. You will start feeling the effects about 25 minutes after you slap it on. The effects are quite subtle at first, but also very enduring – not 8 to 10 hours like Mary’s website claims, but a solid 4 to 6 hours of extended relief. The THC “high” is as potent as a double-dose cannabutter edible, but lasts longer, and the CBD pain-relieving properties are out of this world.
Mary’s most popular cannabis patches, and the only ones we tested, were the 10 mg. CBD/THC combination patches with a 1:1 ratio, and the 20 mg. THC Sativa patches. They cost about $10 apiece, less in multipacks. The most remarkable effect noticed by everyone in our diverse sample, is the analgesic effect of transdermal CBD on old, forgotten aches and pains you’ve simply accepted and learned to live with. Several of our test patients, who suffer from different ailments helped by cannabis, were surprised to experience an absence of discomfort in joints and muscles that were normally a problem, including this writer!
Both a nagging ache in my shoulder, and a lifelong knee pain simply disappeared. I had suffered for years, and gotten used to the soreness, so it was a pleasant surprise to get some relief I didn’t bargain for. These effects wear off about 4 or 5 hours after applying the patch, but you can then light up a bowl and keep the medicine flowing. Seriously, a joint or a vape pen hit are exquisite after your patch starts to wear off. The 20 mg. THC patch was designed primarily for recreational users, and it will keep you comfortably medicated for half the day. Our test of the Sativa patch proved to be the perfect focus for daytime use, more of a natural pick-me-up – Mary’s non-drowsy formula, if you will.
As expected, a few of our patients inquired about using multiple patches at the same time. According to Mary’s Medicinals’ Chief Scientist Noel Palmer, multiple patches can be applied, including mixing and matching the different types. In fact, Palmer recommends two patches for regular cannabis users or large body types. You can’t O.D. on cannabis, but applying more than two patches is downright wasteful, not to mention expensive. If you prefer uninterrupted low-dosage relief, says Palmer, feel free to cut each patch into four pieces, and apply one quarter at a time.
The patch should be applied anywhere on your body where you see veins below the skin – wrists, ankles, or the top of your foot. They are not any more uncomfortable to remove than a Band-Aid, but if that thought makes you queasy, soak the patch in warm water before removing. Remove any residual adhesive with rubbing alcohol.
Mary’s Medicinals New Products
While this proprietary line of medicinal patches is spreading quickly through the cannabis community, and putting Mary’s Medicinals on the map, the company has a number of equally revolutionary products on the market.
- Transdermal Gel Pen – The Transdermal Pen is like the patch, except you squeeze out 2 mg of either CBD, CBN, THC Sativa or THC Indica gel, which is rubbed into the skin to ease soreness and relieve pain.
- Transdermal Topical Compound – an all-natural analgesic cream containing 100 mg of active cannabinoids, including CBN and THC, which is reported to be the balm-dot-com for stiff muscles and inflammation.
- Cannabinoid Green & Protein Powder Mixes – Mary’s has found a method of encapsulating fresh plant material that retains the nutritional value and active cannabinoids, available in powder form mixed with either whey powder or greens. Maybe the perfect product for those who love combining cannabis with their exercise and workout routines?
- Elite CBD Muscle Freeze – This is Mary’s newest product, a combination of CBD and natural plant extracts for a soothing and cooling cream that eases sore muscles and provides a warm glow you’ll never get with Ben-Gay.
- CBD/CBN Capsules – Mary’s capsules are 100 percent plant-based, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free and contain no additives or organic volatile impurities. Each container contains 30 5mg. CBD/CBN capsules that are 100% non-psychoactive, meaning they’re intended strictly for medical use and their pain relieving properties.
We did not try the gel pen (or other products for that matter, but we will), but noted that it’s a sophisticated instrument for exact dosing and includes a child-safety feature. Simply rotate the top portion of the pen clockwise to unlock the child safety mechanism, and back the other direction to lock it after dispensing. To dispense, push down on the top of the pen – the tip will dispense 2mg of gel per click – rub this into a veinous area such as your wrist.
If you’re at all curious about exploring these products in more-depth, you should definitely check out the Mary’s Medicinals website, where you can see how the founders are dedicated to natural pain-killing techniques and cutting-edge cannabis medicine. Their slogan, “For us, it’s simply black and white” is reflected in their simple philosophy and in their elegant, old-timey black and white web pages that hark back to 100 years ago.
And if you’re looking to buy any of Mary’s Medicinals products, you can do a simple (but powerful) search in Nugg to find which local dispensaries are currently able to deliver these products to you.
How Do Transdermal Products Compare to Other Cannabis Medications?
It’s impossible to compare. While patches and transdermal gels are a godsend for long trips and a perfect way to time-release your medication, you may miss the sensual experience of inhaling a thick cloud of smoke, or of biting into a delicious brownie.
On the plus side, Mary’s products are delivered directly to the bloodstream avoiding first-pass metabolism by the liver and breakdown by stomach acids. This gives their products an effective dosing of approximately 10 fold over anything else on the market, according to the Mary’s Medicinals website anyways. Many of their patches contain THC which is also the primary active ingredient in cannabis. However, smoking cannabis high in THC results in a sudden “high” that wears off quickly, while Mary’s Patch is designed to deliver a slow and consistent long-term medicinal dosage. Their cannabinoid specific products, such as THCa and CBD, are non-psychotropic, so they are much less like smoking.
Their list of ingredients, as displayed on the packaging, includes carefully extracted Cannabis oil, which is cannabinoid- and terpene-enriched. A proprietary carrier compound delivers the active medicine directly to the bloodstream for maximum efficiency and bioavailability. Plus, all of their patches are made with hypoallergenic silicone backer and are latex-free.
However, a guy who claims to have helped develop the transdermal cannabis patch has been trolling (well, it depends how you see it) medical marijuana boards and offers a little shade. He says the Mary’s patch is not all-natural, and that it contains chemicals in both the patch and the adhesive. Furthermore, he reminds us that ALL transdermal patches come with risks.
Remember that our skin is a fairly effective barrier, but it’s not 100% fool-proof. It’s been protecting our innards for hundreds of thousands of years, and it will never let stuff enter your body without a fight. In order for a transdermal job to do its job, it must include an agent that relaxes the skin to let the medication seep into your bloodstream. Unfortunately, in this relaxed state, the area of skin covered by the patch also lets you take in smog and other environmental toxins intravenously.
Sounds scary, we know, but even the skeptical patch developer considers the patch and transdermal gel pen to be safe. Just be sure to clean the area with alcohol only – don’t use soap – and cover the dab of gel concentrate with a chemically-resistant material, like Teflon sheet.
Patient Testimonials
“This works better than any medicine I’ve tried for my fibromyalgia, and it’s also helping my chronic anxiety. It’s pretty incredible” — Ron, 65
CBD & THC have been known to help shrink tumors. I know that’s what happened to me. These patches saved my life.” –Steven, 38
“I’ve been enduring chronic neurogenic pain for many, many years. I tried some of your patches and they really worked. Better than morphine, methadone, anything.” –Kelly, 45
And the Winner Is…
Mary’s Medicinals innovative topical and transdermal products have won many awards, including the Cannabis Business Awards 2014 Invention of the Year and Best New Product at the prestigious High Times Cannabis Cup. We couldn’t agree more – transdermal products with precise dosing and maximum effectiveness are here to stay.
You can decide for yourself, because Mary’s Medicinals products are currently on the shelves of your favorite dispensary. Or you can simply visit Getnugg.com, the GrubHub of medical marijuana delivery services, and have Mary’s convenient patches, creams and powders at your door in about an hour. Nugg delivery is now available in over 60 California cities, and provides online research and thousands of products from local cannabis dispensaries, with 24/7 customer service and no cost to you. Register below for free home delivery.
Transdermal ingestion of cannabinoids may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but in this instant-gratification world of potent concentrates and red-hot dab hits, Mary’s Medicinals’ transdermal marijuana patch is certainly a welcome relief.
