Exclusive: Straws Lined with THC Could Transform Edibles Industry

Innovative THC delivery systems are plentiful in a market saturated with transdermal patches, dissolvable strips and more—but every so often, a unique product idea disrupts the playing field. Enter THC-infused drinking straws loaded with an interior lining—infused with THC.

Today Drnq Budz launched its premiere line of drinking straws infused with THC, right in the lining of the straws. The lining dissolves as you drink, providing a new titration system: the consumer can watch the amount of THC that is consumed through the outer layer of the straw. This technology allows for very precise dosage, setting itself apart from other titration methods.

Give your lungs a break, but while maintaining a relatively fast onset of THC, taking place within six minutes. You can actually see the colored coating inside the straw fade away as the THC is consumed.

“Here’s the situation: People are taking gummies and waiting half an hour to get high,” Drnq Budz Founder Joe Wallace told High Times. “How often do they end up taking a second one when they get bored waiting? And end up much higher than they wanted to be? With Drnq Budz, the coating dissolves in the liquid you drink with it, giving it greater bioavailability—we have a six-minute onset, which is definitely more fun, but also gives people more control.”

How is this possible? The Los Angeles-based startup secured the master rights to technology developed by Unistraw, the biggest straw maker in the world, based in Australia. Unistraw’s patented, award-winning straw-delivery system can infuse drinks with a coating of flavoring or active ingredients—THC, in this case. 

Drnq Budz will launch in three flavors and three doses: 25mg, 50mg and 100mg dosages, with individual straws containing 5-10mg. More options are expected soon. This allows anyone to be able to infuse a cocktail or nearly any other type of drink with THC, without knowing the intricacies of edible infusion. Typically, cannabis has to be decarboxylated and added to alcohol or an oil-based medium for infusion. It’s just not something most average consumers know how to do properly. 

The straws come in natural flavors of Mango, Lemon-Lime, Berry and Matcha, in 10-straw packs. Drnq Budz will be available beginning December 15, 2021 from dispensaries and delivery services throughout California.

Plastic straw bans abound as plastic litters the oceans. Seattle, Washington banned plastic straws in July 2018, followed by Washington D.C. and more cities. Also, major food and drink chains such as Starbucks began to phase out plastic straws. This leaves opportunity for compostable options.

Drnq Budz straws are 100 percent certified compostable and bio-sourced. They are actually sourced from corn—not plastic. The straws could help to create a massive reduction in the cannabis industry’s carbon footprint, reducing shipping and storage of heavier products and reducing the plastic and chemical waste associated with vaping products. 

“This delivery system will change lives,” Wallace said. “I know that sounds over-the-top, but think about how convenient and enjoyable this makes taking care of yourself and feeling good. This is a natural disruptor of the edibles market—which is on track to reach $12 billion by 2025. And c’mon, we’re adults here—do you really want to be sitting around eating gummy bears? Imagine all the things we can do with this technology—all you have to do is sip.”

The drinking straw technology provides a new way to feel the effects of THC fast, outside of the typical edibles you know well.