I’m always on the lookout for new cannabis products. As a daily user and someone who works in the space, it's hard not to be excited with all of the innovative new weed products hitting California's recently legal recreational market. 

Sublingual strips are one of the more interesting new products I’ve recently come across. Inherently discreet, this novel means of consuming cannabis is unique, approachable, and easy to use. And because the infused strips are to be absorbed sublingually the effects are nearly immediate and can be felt within minutes. I recently had the opportunity to sample Kin Slips’ Nice Dream sublingual strips, which the brand markets as being a sleep aid.

Full disclosure, not only do I consume cannabis daily, but I do so via many different methods—I smoke flower, I dab concentrates, I occasionally vape and eat infused edibles. Heck, I even use weed-infused topicals. Point being, your girl gets high! My tolerance is admittedly much higher than the average consumer, and as such, my experience might differ from someone with a lower tolerance.

With that in mind, the Nice Dream strips should make for a great plant-based sleep aid and seem as though they could be a great tool in treating acute pain. They also seem capable of providing immediate relief, as sublingual absorption tends to make for a rapid onset of effects. Personally, I enjoy the discretion afforded by the strips and the ability to consume cannabis incognito, even while in the company of my family.

“The sublingual strips would be ideal for the non-smoker, or the mmj patient seeking a low-dose product that kicks in quickly. ”

The Kin Slips strip I tried was very thin and roughly the same size as a Listerine breath strip. It felt like soft sandpaper. They smelled faintly of citrus and melons. The taste, however, was extremely unpleasant like rotten fruit. This is unfortunate because to really feel any measurable effect, I would have needed to take at least three 10mg strips. But after just one there was no way I would ever put my taste buds through that agony again. You know the filmy aftertaste and feeling that a fruit roll-up leaves on your tongue, seemingly clinging to everything inside your mouth? Well, unexpectedly, the Kin Slips product was kind of like that, except that the fruit had gone bad and the film it left was more of a residual slime now coating my mouth. This was a bummer.

The sublingual strips would be ideal for non-smokers or medical patients seeking a low-dose product that kicks in sooner than later. However, if your tolerance is anywhere near mine, the effects will be minimal. Even after reducing my THC intake in an attempt to lower my tolerance prior to sampling the strips, the effects were barely noticeable.

For comparison, brands like Kiva and Stokes Confections offer a wide range of effective, easily dosed edible products that are close to Kin Slips on the potency scale but seem to be more effective. And they taste way better, which makes for a much more enjoyable experience.

Kiva’s Terra Bites—chocolate covered blueberries and (my favorite) espresso beans—each contain 5mg of THC per serving. Unlike the sublingual strips, both the blueberries and coffee beans must first get digested before you’ll notice any weedy feels. The onset can vary between thirty minutes and two hours, depending on the individual. The espresso beans are so delicious that I don’t mind the wait. I like to eat a few of the blueberries as I get ready for bed. By the time I am crawling under the covers, I usually feel a calm and soothing sensation throughout my body, and my eyes start to feel heavy.

Stokes offers tiny cannabis-infused breath mints that get you high while they freshen your breath. Like Kin Slips, the mints are a sublingual product. And they come in four tasty flavors: watermelon, tangerine dream, honey lemon ginger, and a cool mint. These poppable infused treats don’t necessarily get me high as much as they curb cravings for more potent products and make my day more manageable. I enjoy the discreet nature of the mints, which are low in sodium and sugar-free. You can eat a Stokes mint virtually anywhere without any detection and don’t have to feel guilty about knocking back a few.

Ultimately, the taste of Kin Slips' Nice Dream strips hindered my experience to the point where any potential high was just not achieved. Unfortunately, I never fully realized the efficacy of the product because it was simply too gross to continue consuming. Still, even though it’s unlikely I’d recommend them currently, Kin Slips certainly has a unique product, and it will be interesting to watch how the brand improves upon their sublingual strips.