ELBE’S SNACK MIX

The canna-butter wizards at Elbe’s Edibles—whose incredible Cakeballs have left me both stoned and needing a size-up in trousers—now have a savory option in the form of their new Snack Mix.

Elbe’s has spiced up their premium, whole-bud-infused cannabutter, and baked it into the wheat portion of their cereal mix. There are 30 pieces per container, totalling 50 milligrams of THC. Three pieces of the wheat cereal equals 5 milligrams of THC, which you can eat on its own, or—and this is much better—mix into the non-medicated collection of corn and rice cereals, pretzels, and peanuts. This allows you to select your exact dose of THC while snacking: Go low or go pro, your choice. Elbe’s Snack Mix, a product that comes with medicated and non-medicated food in one package, was a new experience, and a welcome one. JOSH JARDINE

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MEDTAINER

How could they possibly innovate something that’s as simple as a plastic container? Medtainer has attempted to do exactly that, with their three-piece weed storage cannister. There’s a lid piece and a bottom piece—nothing too extraodinary there—but then there’s a third piece, a sort of shaft that fits in between the two and has a grinder attached to it. Basically, what you get is a grinder and an airtight storage unit in one.

That’s really all there is to say about the Medtainer. The grinder is made from plastic, so it’s inferior to all the metal weed grinders on the market. It also has the tendency to pack down the grind and make it clump together instead of staying all nice and fluffy. The container itself is certainly adequate, and it’s airtight so it keeps odors in. But there’s also a big horrible logo on the side, and while clicking the whole thing together to close is not difficult, exactly, you could easily forget to do the last part of the click and then knock it over and spill your stuff everywhere. With reports online that the grinder teeth have been known to break off and end up in your weed, I’d say give the Medtainer a pass. And not the good kind of pass. NED LANNAMANN

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VIPOVA TEA & CANNABINOID CREATIONS SODA

We all keep hearing about how great CBD is, but there are two distinct types: There’s the CBD that’s made from the wild and wacky cannabis plant—which you can find on the shelves of your local dispensary—and then there’s CBD made from cannabis’ stodgy older brother: hemp. Hemp-made CBD is available, often through mail order, in parts of the country that have yet to legalize cannabis, which is great for those who want its benefits, but don’t live in a legalized state. And yet, by several accounts, this hemp-y CBD is a different beast altogether, lacking the full spectrum of effects and essentially being pretty weak tea.

Speaking of tea, the Mercury was sent two different kinds of nationally available CBD drinks to sample, including Vipova’s Yunnan black tea made with hemp oil. It tasted awful, and any of CBD’s purported effects could not be detected, even after a pretty strong cup.

The other drink we tried was a line of sodas from Cannabinoid Creations, also containing CBD made from industrial hemp. This, also, was a non-starter—it’s essentially outrageously expensive ($28 for a four-pack of seven-ounce bottles!) sugar water with no noticeable benefits. Junk, in other words.

However, people use CBD for different things, and while our tester’s chronic back and sciatic pain was not impacted in the slightest, it’s possible that those for whom CBD does make a marked difference might wring some use out of these beverages. Still, it’s a reminder that we’re pretty lucky to live in a state where hemp-made CBD is not the only option. NL

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HANA BALM & BAR

Hana Medicinals founder Amy Risch is a scientist by training and a lifelong organic gardener. After developing arthritis, and wishing to avoid the use of NSAIDs and prescription medications, she sought out a natural solution.

The Hana Balm is hempseed- and coconut-oil based, with grapeseed, olive and jojoba oils, and anti-inflammatory and analgesic herbs including arnica and menthol. It uses Siskiyou Sungrown full-spectrum 1:1 organic Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), for a comprehensive cannabinoid content. My patients with arthritis and muscle and joint pain responded quite well to a liberal application. Each 1.7-ounce tin has 60 milligrams of THC and 50 milligrams of CBD.

The Hana Bar is made from the same basic oils and the 1:1 RSO, but adds lavender and vanilla, which serve as calming ingredients. The bar warms up nicely in your hands, melting just enough lotion to apply as a pain reliever to sore muscles and dry skin. Each 1.3-ounce bar has 63 milligrams THC and 52 milligrams CBD. Both the balm and bar come recommended. JJ

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DYNAMITE by JUNK

Because of legal considerations, the folks at Junk (AKA Jody and Carrie of award-winning edibles company Leif Goods) can’t say that their new product—a small-batch-crafted candy using sungrown, full spectrum Siskiyou oil—is a THC- and CBD-infused, dual-flavored variation on Pop Rocks. Because Pop Rocks is a registered trademark, and lawyers are expensive.

But hey, do y’all remember, um, “Snap Gravel”? Because that’s what Dynamite is exactly like! Except that its two flavors, Watermelon and Orange, are infused with ratios of 14 milligrams of THC to 1 milligram of CBD, and 15 milligrams of THC to 22.8 milligrams of CBD, per serving, respectively.

Because of carbonation and your tongue and science, each of the three servings per package are absorbed not lingually, but sublingually, so the THC and CBD reach your system rather quickly.

They should have called them Pot Rocks, but didn’t. Remember when weed was fun? Junk does, and Dynamite is fun. But it’s not Pop Rocks, okay? JJ