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Pot soda

David Pescovitz at 10:32 am Tue, Feb 1, 2011

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Canna Cola is a line of THC-enriched sodas to be sold at medical marijuana dispensaries. Flavors include: DocWeed, Orange Kush, Grape Ape, Sour Diesel, and the classic Canna Cola. (Thanks, Mathias Crawford!)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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  • teapot

    @21: It’s just about extracting the THC into a form which can easily be absorbed by the body. When in plant form, our bodies process the plant matter too quickly to extract the THC effectively. As far as I’m aware, THC can be dissolved in both oils (i.e. butter/cooking oil) and alcohol. THC doses required to get high are small – meaning the amount of alcohol you’d need to dissolve that much THC would be negligible. I presume in this case it’s dissolved in ethanol, cos soda and oil isn’t a good mix….. though I did try it for consumption of argyreia nervosa seeds which contain LSA (a cousin of LSD).

    As others have mentioned here, I see dosage as a problem. The guy probably makes it pretty weakish to avoid messing people up too bad but I am picturing some high guy deciding to drink another can o’ weed to cure his creeping desert-mouth. Reddō ad absurdum.

    My main question is: why? This idea is not new. Making drinkable delivery vectors (COCKTAILS!) has been done a million times by countless apothecarists during the thousands of years weed had been used in medicine prior to the USA’s vilification of it in order to “get rid o’ dem dirty Mexicans”. It also doesn’t really increase or decrease the convenience or effectiveness of consumption, so I’m not sold. I would still buy it to try it though – It’s what Jah would want.

    Teller: how about Stereotype Strawberry?

    • Wendy Blackheart

      The dosage, in my experience, is only a problem the first time. For example, just last night, I made brownies. Since I know the weed I cooked it with was strong, and since I knew I simmered the oil long enough to get a good kick out of it, when they were finished, we had 1/24th of the entire finished product, to see how it affects you. (generally, I try to use those mini-muffin tins, so that you have pre-made sizes.) Then, you have to be patient and wait for it to kick in (we had them after dinner, so it took longer than if we had them on an empty stomach – particularly me, as I have a LAP Band, thus it takes longer to get absorbed.)

      Anyone who’s ever ingested marijuana (or anyone aware of the effects of it) then knows to PUT AWAY whatever the weed is in. That avoids the problem of ‘oh, I have dry mouth, drink more of this!’ or ‘ooooh, brownies!’.

      We had an issue with that the first time I made ‘em. My fiancee is a chocoholic, and once the first one we ate kicked in, he ate two more. It was…interesting.

      Though, IMO, I would rather make my own so I can control and be aware of the dosage (and the type of weed going into it) than buy something pre-made. But I feel that way about most foods as well.

    • Nword

      If you look at things like Mello Yellow, and some orange sodas, the have oils in em..

      Certainly enough to contain the thc dosage a drink like this would need.

  • Anonymous

    “Rich Couch” – when you find enough change under the cushions to buy food / do laundry / ride the bus / etc.

  • willy

    I, personally, am completely offended by this increasing glorification of marijuana in videos showing fat buds with exotic names, and the way we’re forced to watch as these “patients” in the states where medical marijuana is allowed display their purchases and are even documented smoking it out of fancy bongs! I think the worst of it, though, is the displays of glass jars filled to the brim with sweet, sticky, plump flowering tops guaranteed to be of the highest quality and taste! It’s absolutely outrageous!

    So when is *my* state gonna legalize medical marijuana??? Don’t they realize how much I’m suffering, having to passively watch all of this? Don’t I have a right to exult in the fragrance of herb wafting through the air, as the only medicine that would cure what’s ailing me?

    uhh… that is, IF I were someone who actually did that sort of thing, I mean.

  • Anonymous

    “Butler, who says he personally doesn’t use marijuana…”

    Suuuuuuree.

  • Anonymous

    The large obviously stoned man in the video said “ingesting the plant is whats going to do the damage”. I think he means combusting the plant matter.

  • Teller

    Also in
    Lazyass Lemon
    Big Time Rut Beer
    Coughee
    Apple CimmanunCinnaCinnamum
    & Couch Tomato

  • Anonymous

    Land of the Free….unless you want to smoke a little pot and make a choice that is your own. Cigarettes absolutely cause cancer, proven fact. Cigarettes are legal. Anyone please send me actual proof anywhere you can find it that pot causes anything deadly….please….

  • Lester

    I thought the whole justification for medical marijuana was that THC-alone (like in Marinol) is less effective for patient use. That is, THC has some potent effects, but it is moderated by all the other cannabinoids present in pot. Also, that people can self-modulate (is that a word?) dosage in a joint (puff less, puff more), but standardized doses of THC might, in fact, be too much for some people.

    • Anonymous

      I don’t understand how the Pot Soda is in conflict with that. Is it that you’re taking the copy in a way literal sense that the soda only contains THC? I’m pretty sure all the other cannabinoids are going to be present in his product. If people don’t want a standardized 12 oz dose of the soda, I’m also pretty sure that they can drink as many ounces as they desire.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t get how this works, what’s carrying the active components?

    When you bake pot into cakes it’s the fat content and heat that do the work. You can’t just consume weed and get high – it’s not like alcohol, so how are they working it in to a fizzy drink?

  • mgfarrelly

    Pardon my ignorance here, I’ve never smoked or otherwise injested and have no desire to, but doesn’t THC in foods pack more of a punch? I seem to recall heads of my acquaintance talking about how pot brownies and cookies (and even pasta with the butter as delivery mechanism) snuck up on them in terms of getting high.

    • bonersimpson

      Yes, when the plant material is taken out of the equation it leaves ONLY the “active ingredients” which are known as concentrates… the doses/thc consumption can STILL be easily regulated though.

      Its much like… you know that vodka/scotch is a SEVERAL TIMES more powerful form of alcohol than a “wine cooler” or a light beer, so you adjust chaser and container sizes accordingly. And even with adjustments, there are still mixed drinks that “sneak up on you” just the same.

      If I whip up a batch of “canni-budd(tt)er” and I pay attention to what strain I used and how much budder I made from that particular batch I can let whomever eats it know that “a quarter cookie/brownie will get you ‘nice’ but a half of brownie/cookie will put you on your ass”. The reason that edibles/drinkables tend to catch people off guard is because it isn’t instant like inhaling smoke is.. you know RIGHT away when you’ve “had enough” but the thc/cannabinoids cooked in food takes longer to enter your blood stream and takes longer to wear off.

      The reason why this scares so many people is because its illegal so the knowledge about doses isn’t as readily available/common knowledge as with alcohol or pharmaceutical drugs… but people tend to abuse those two things as well so its more about personal responsibility than anything else.

  • gwailo_joe

    Yarg. None for me thanks. Lately I’ve been enjoying really hoppy beers such as Hop-Head and Pliny the Elder. They taste a little like drinking buds; which to me, is pretty delicious.

    I do not however, desire actual marijuana in my beer. And when I drink a Coke, I would like that unsullied also.

    And I agree with Lester: consuming pot is notorious for excessive effects due to lack of increments in usage. Case in point: if you are ever in San Francisco and a big guy in a cookie monster suit hands you a special cookie: only eat 1/8th of it. Not half. Not a quarter. Then go see Tron or True Grit. . . Just a word to the wise.

  • DaveP

    thc acts a little differently when its digested rather than inhaled. it typically takes longer to take effect and then lasts longer. soda would take effect quicker than a brownie or something.

    these guys all face an economic problem. products of this type typically cost about $10 per–makes 5 hour energy or red bull seem like government cheese. your bang for the buck is not good compared to the real thing, and its not like outlets will stock these and not bud itself.

    it has the unfortunate side effect of tasting like a lousy storebrand soda mixed with weed. with the goofy colours and flavors they venture into it also might look like they’re courting minors.

    they’ve basically priced themselves like a fine single malt while putting out a product that looks like it was designed for a 14-year old skater.

    and no, there’s nothing novel about herbal cruz–this stuff is available under other brands already. its pretty silly that they think they *must* have a pot leaf on their packaging, though. nobody’s buying weed soda for the pot leaf, and you can only get this places that sell pot, so … sounds like someone who is letting the prevailing practices in the marketplace dictate their product marketing to me, but whatever, i’m not a weed soda baron.

  • Anonymous

    I hate being both thirsty and sober.

  • RadioSilence

    i couldn’t watch it. i thought news presenters with that ‘Over the TOP!’ style were a parody; that they existed in the cultural imagination only.
    i’m glad you don’t get that shit on the BBC, i like my newsreaders with a little more gravitas.

    • bonersimpson

      Hahaha, ive seen plenty of clips JUST LIKE THIS(and even more campy) online with the BBC logo in the corner. Maybe you just aren’t paying attention. Try not to be a news snob. I bet you only listen to NPR as well.

      • RadioSilence

        i think i might have appeared overly haughty there, i was trying to be a bit tongue-in-cheek :D

        i did find the voice-over incredibly loud and obnoxious though.

        • bonersimpson

          Its all love. I clearly need to go smoke(or drink, perhaps?) a joint & dial it back a new notches haha.

    • sbarnes2

      You’d love the Onion. It shows what a joke mainstream American news programs are- I’m pretty sure everyone in the industry is a drama queen or king.

      • RadioSilence

        i love the onion, i just didn’t realise it was so close to the truth :)

  • Rose

    Dixie Elixir has better packaging… http://www.vojorising.com/vojo-rising/2011/2/1/some-tasty-new-work-for-dixie-elixirs.html

  • Anonymous

    only in Capitola

  • kaiza

    Where’s the dirty bong-water flavour?