Getting high is, ideally, a communal experience.
But smoking flower doesn't agree with every set of lungs. Vaping is out, or at least on hold, and edibles can be nerve-wracking, especially for newbies.
So what does that leave you with? As I relayed the question to the eager budtender behind the counter at Five Zero Trees, I watched his hand dip slowly into a drawer before pulling out a slim, shimmering package that contained a THC skin patch.
"We have a couple different brands that offer these," he said. "But you can cut this one up into pieces if you don't want to take it all at once."
The Synergy Skin Worx THC patch contains a total of 40 mg of THC and 0.5 mg of CBD. It transmits the high transdermally—meaning, through the skin. Because the patch can be divided up to eight times, I brought it on a group camping trip to Bagby Hot Springs Campground, intent on using not only my body but everyone else's as well to see if a splittable transdermal patch really lived up to the hype.
The Experience
After setting up camp, I used a folding knife to carefully slice the skin-toned patch into eight equal-sized squares. Each adhesive pad contained roughly 5 mg of THC. Passing the Band-Aid-like squares among friends, we each elected to place them on different sections of our body—the inner forearm, lower thigh, even the back of the neck. The packaging marked the product's activation time at 60 minutes. After a few minutes, most of us forgot the patch was there.
How I Spent My High
Unlike most edibles, which have a tendency to hit like a freight train, the patch's effects came on more subtly. About 40 minutes after administering the patch, telltale signs of a quintessential high began to emerge. The trees seemed bigger, and the sound of flowing water from the nearby river intensified. We giggled on our walk to the nearby hot springs. One friend noted feeling it in her hips. Time decelerated while soaking in the hot springs. After two hours, the effects subsided.
The Takeaway
The Synergy Skin Worx patch offers both a diverse and discreet opportunity to enjoy cannabis with a spin that conjures the phrase "choose your own adventure." You're free to parcel the product for multiple doses, and even share it with friends, or use it all at once for up to 24 hours of time-released satisfaction. Personally, I'd rather enjoy the experience of shared consumption—there was something refreshing about being able to apply it and forget it, and not worry about getting knocked out by the effects later.
The Bottom Line
For $24 and a fairly novel experience, transdermal patches offer a newfound opportunity to discreetly enjoy cannabis on any adventure, with anyone who has skin.
WHERE TO BUY: Synergy Skin Worx THC Patch is available at Five Zero Trees, 909 NE Dekum St., 503-954-3844, fivezerotrees.com.