The CEO of the 'Uber for weed' says these mints are the next big thing in marijuana

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February 3, 2017 8:00 PM

Pot-laced mints that contain as little as 2.5 milligrams of THC, the chemical compound in marijuana that makes users high, began cropping up on dispensary shelves last fall and are gaining favor among users who want to avoid smoking or over-dosing on edibles.

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"People who quote-unquote 'don't smoke weed' will definitely eat a cannabis-infused mint," Jim Patterson, CEO of marijuana delivery service Eaze Uber for weed, tells Business Insider.

Eaze introduced mints by Breez, which are made with oil derived from the marijuana plant, sugar, and peppermint oil, two months ago and have seen positive user feedback. Each mint has five milligrams of THC, the rough equivalent of smoking one-fifth of a joint or less.

Mints are a natural form-factor for microdosed products because of their size.

Kiva Confections, an edibles maker based in Oakland, branched out from chocolates into mints last November.

Another reason for the popularity of weed-laced mints might be their ingestion method.

When eaten, THC undergoes a transformation in the liver that turns it into a different substance that's twice as strong and lasts twice as long as when it's inhaled. A user's high might not peak until one to three hours after eating. Because it takes so long to process, people often overdo it by going in for a second helping too soon.

When you suck on a marijuana-infused mint, however, most of the THC gets absorbed sublingually, or through the cheeks and under the tongue. The effects take hold in minutes, not hours, which means

"Mints work so well, because, you don't want to like chow down on mint. It actually makes sense to have one mint an hour. Chocolate-covered stuff? You just want more," Patterson said. "So for all those reasons, in my opinion, mints are the perfect product."

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