“How is this going to make me feel?”
That’s by far the most common—and the most important—question asked by cannabis consumers.
“Will it stimulate my creativity, or help me sleep? Will it relieve my pain, or pique my appetite?”
To help answer these questions, and boost sales, more and more brands are labeling their offerings as “Chill,” or “Creative,” or “Relax,” or “Inspire.” They claim their gummies and vape pens can not only get you high, but reliably change your mood from active and energetic to calm and relaxed. Every drug—botanical or not—can affect different people in different ways, and there’s much more science to be done. But early data has led to these cutting-edge, effect-specific products from top California brands. Get ready to feel different.
OLO
(Courtesy OLO)
Moods Offered: Chill, Focus, Social, Active
The result of a rigorous two-year period of research and development, OLO comes from a team of biochemists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and cannabis experts determined to go “beyond strains.” They honed in on how blends of marijuana’s main active ingredients —cannabinoids and terpenes—alter nervous system functioning.
This is not an entirely new concept.
Traditional connoisseurs long-held that certain cannabis types sedated people, while other physically different types uplift and stimulate. Recent research challenges that simplification and points to cannabis’ aroma—its terpenes— as mood modulators.
Companies dial in effects a few different ways. Some blend cannabis with other herbs, like lavender for sleep or ginseng for energy.
Brands like OLO isolate the dozen-plus main active ingredients in cannabis, called cannabinoids, and re-blend them in precise ratios. As little as 2 milligrams of pot’s two main molecules—THC and CBD—can cause mild, manageable feelings of well-being, dubbed “euphoria”. Add in some terpenes, and you can enhance that high, or calm it further.
OLO has four formulas with reliable, specific effects, based on consumer tests. OLOs come in the form of mouth strips that goes under the tongue. Each contains 5 milligrams or 10 milligrams of THC. OLO dissolves quickly, with effects manifesting within 15 to 20 minutes.
Places to Find It:
- Santa Cruz Naturals in Aptos
- Caliva in San Jose
- Cannabis Express Delivery Service
Level Tablinguals
(Courtesy Level)
Moods Offered: Elevate, Soothe, Calm, Stimulate, Relieve
Shop highly rated dispensaries near you
Showing you dispensaries nearReady for a futuristic, reliable way to dial in a mood?
Level brand products contain exotic cannabis molecules that dissolve under your tongue, providing discreet relief.
This is cool, because nowadays you can choose how you want to ingest cannabis. Smoking or vaping rapidly transfers THC to the brain, via the blood and lungs, bringing on effects within minutes. It’s easy to adjust your dose—stop toking—when you start to feel high.
By contrast, edibles must first traverse the stomach and liver, which alters cannabis’ effects—potentially making them longer and stronger. It can take up to two hours for edibles to kick in, and you can’t stop digestion once effects get strong. The high can last hours.
Lastly, “sublinguals” (under the tongue) take effect much faster than edibles. Taking a tincture, mouth strip, or tablet under the tongue delivers a substance directly to the bloodstream, and thus the brain in about 15 minutes.
Level’s Elevate tab bills itself as a “classic high,” delivering 3 milligrams of THC per tablet, but the rest of the offerings are more interesting.
Soothe uses a slightly different, more rare version of THC called “Delta-8.” It should be less stoney and spacey.
Calm Tablinguals each contain 3 milligrams of cannabigerol—CBG. This weed molecule won’t make you giggly, so it’s gaining more attention for its possible medical applications.
Level also offers vape carts and Pax Era pods, and their website has a search function designed to help people find products with specific effects.
Places to Find It:
- Zen Noho in Los Angeles
- Bloom Room in San Francisco
- Humboldt Patient Resource Center in Arcata
Kiva Camino
(Courtesy Kiva Confections)
Moods Offered: Chill, Balanced, Uplifting, Social
The newest product line from California’s cannabis chocolate powerhouse, Kiva Confections, the four flavors of Camino gummies blend terpenes and cannabinoids intended to affect mood. The first three varieties contain 5 milligrams of THC per piece. Wild Berry uses terpenes derived from an indica strain to induce a Chill vibe. Blenheim Apricot uses terps from both sativa and indica cultivars to bring Balanced feelings. And Pineapple Habanero blends “energy-stimulating sativa terpenes with ripe pineapple and a touch of heat for the perfect daytime lift.”
Only one flavor, Sparkling Pear, uses CBD to reduce anxiety for a Social formula, with 2 milligrams of THC and 6 milligrams of CBD per piece.
Again, effects can vary. Solid peer-reviewed science is scant. Edibles made from an indica strain could affect you differently than an edible made from a sativa strain, but it’s unclear how eating cannabis-derived terpenes affects mood. Terpenes are found in the vast majority of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices that we eat.
Places to Find It:
- Airfield Supply in San Jose
- Zen Noho in Los Angeles
- Coast to Coast Collective in Los Angeles
Kikoko Tea
Moods Offered: Tranquil, Positive, Sympathetic, Sensual
Brilliantly blending complementary herbs with varying ratios of THC to CBD, these teas offer four distinct moods. Sensuali-Tea, aimed at increasing sexual arousal, uses 7 milligrams of THC per serving along with hibiscus, rose, and cardamom.
Tranquili-Tea combines 2 milligrams of THC with 5 milligrams of CBN — a sleepy drug— plus chamomile and lemon myrtle.
Intended to combat pain and anxiety, Sympa-Tea contains a 20 milligrams of CBD and three milligrams of THC along with turmeric and ginger. Only one tea contains caffeine—Positivi-Tea—a blend of mint, green tea, 10 milligrams of THC and 5 milligrams of CBD, intended to bring on feelings of joy. You can also boost the power of your tea by adding a new Kikoko Honey Shot, with Calm CBD and Buzz THC options for further mood enhancement.
Places to Find It:
- The Herbarium in West Hollywood
- Evergreen in Santa Ana
- Treehouse in Santa Cruz
Canndescent
(Courtesy Canndescent)
Moods Offered: Calm, Cruise, Create, Connect, Charge
The first brand to abandon traditional strain names, Canndescent simplifies shopping for weed. They grow traditional strains extra-consistently, and give them alliterative new names based on intended effect.
Canndescent’s joints (dubbed prerolls), and buds come in sleek packaging, and Charge promises to energize your body and mind while Calm relaxes it. The effects of Cruise, Connect, and Create fall somewhere in-between. Canndescent offers a classy, tame way to introduce new users to the effects of cannabis flowers, so look for their flights of five different prerolls to sample all of the different experiences.
Places to Find It:
- Zen Noho in Los Angeles
- The Herbarium in West Hollywood
- Firehaus in Los Angeles
Aces Vapes
(Courtesy Aces)
Moods Offered: Energize, Uplift, Inspire, Unwind
Aces offers effects-based cannabis oil blends for portable vaporizer pens. A sativa cannabis oil called Energize contains a popular “terpinolene-forward” blend. Inspire comes from hybrid cannabis oil with a myrcene-forward terpene blend, “known to stimulate your mind and arouse your curiosity.”
Aces Uplift offers citrusy Super Lemon Haze oil. The Unwind balances THC extracted from an indica varietal with equal amounts of CBD to facilitate relaxing.
Places to Find It:
- Kushism in Los Angeles
- Universal Collective in Los Angeles
- Mankind Cooperative
