If you’re anything like me—a relatively new convert to cannabis, whose knowledge of the plant is entirely confined to what he’s been told by young budtenders and longtime tender buds—you shop dispensaries with your grievances front-and-center: “I can’t sleep,” “My back is killing me,” “I can’t follow along with Dune: Part 2,” that sort of thing. You ask for remedies, but you receive well-intentioned but confusing tutorials on cannabinoids and terpenes, and you go home with something that may or may not do what you need it to do.
Ayr Wellness, a cannabis retailer with several Valley locations (find them at thedispensarynv.com), is tackling this confusion head-on with its new Kynd gummies—naturally-flavored, gluten-free edibles that tell you, right up front, how they’re intended to be used. Sour Green Apple, a sativa gummy with 1 milligram of THC and 5 milligrams of THCV per piece, is clearly marked “Energy.” The aptly named Bedtime Blueberry, an indica with a 2-to-1 ratio of THC to CBN, is for sleep. Sour Strawberry, a sativa powerhouse with 10mg of THC, is all about “Uplift.” (“Dance your heart out at a music festival or finally tackle that DIY project,” the website suggests.)
There are several other flavors and intended uses, but you get the idea: Ayr Wellness knows what consumers like me are asking for and are trying to meet us halfway by answering my questions right on the box.
The time is ripe for such an idea, says Jamie Mendola, Ayr Wellness’ chief business development officer and GM of its western region.
“Years ago, you had kind of basic, one-size-fits-all distillate gummies,” he says. “And as the market has matured, and technology and the supply chain has improved, you’re now seeing most of the well-known brands move towards more effect-based products, because the reality is that people are generally using [edibles] for specific reasons.”
He names several such targeted uses, like sleep (“a big use case”), people who need to take frequent low doses for chronic pain, and recreational consumers who like a bit of cannabis as an end-of-day, take-the-edge-off alcohol replacement. And he adds that, even though Ayr is a Florida-based company, Kynd’s gummies are produced in a Las Vegas kitchen to get the formulation just right.
The prices are good: A 10-piece package of regular, terpene-infused gummies is $17 and the “ratio” gummies with minor cannabinoids are $19. (Wow, cannabis seems to be the only instance where “let the marketplace decide” really worked out.)
We may have our pains and problems, but Ayr Wellness and Kynd know their names and are taking them on with some good-tasting remedies.
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