Truss Beverages Bridges Cannabis Consumption Gap With Rolling Paper Straws

Before the days of vape pens, a common issue most cannabis consumers faced at least once before a smoking sesh' is a lack of rolling papers. Fortunately, there are plenty of substitutes that will work in a pinch - pages out of the Bible, gum wrappers (after rubbing the foil off), and even dried corn husks.

In places where weed is legal, these stoner improvisations are less of an occurrence, as cannabis brands are free to sell cannabis ready-to-consume, from pre-rolls to infused beverages. And Canadian brand Truss Beverages worked with agency Rethink to bridge the gap between traditional consumption and its new cannabis drinks. So, they created rolling papers that can get used to make a straw, a completely new take on the old joint.

The papers come in a premium pack made out of thick stock dyed in classy hunter green with orange accents and an embossed front flap. Inside, a small shelf houses a dowel for straw rolling, instructions on how to make a paper straw, and five stripes patterned after the Truss beverage range. Additionally, the straws get made with a standard coated polyart paper with an adhesive strip. The paper and adhesive are both food-safe, and the straw will last for the duration of one beverage.

But more importantly,  this was an opportunity for Truss to unveil some new drinks.

Truss Beverages is a collaborative effort between licensed cannabis provider HEXO and beer giant Molson Coors, and, similar to the beer market, has launched several lines aimed at different use cases for cannabis consumption. Beverage is a niche cannabis category, and unlike edible baked goods like brownies, infused drinks do not have a strong tradition in markets like Canada, though cannabis-infused drinks called bhang thandai has a long history in India and is associated with the Hindu holiday of Holi.

House of Terpenes come tailored for social occasions and focused on, you guessed it, terpenes, aromatic compounds found in cannabis that some say calm and elevate moods. It pairs well with other non-cannabis botanicals and gets packaged in sparkling water-style bottles. Little Victory is a low potency 1:1 THC and CBD combination, designed for celebrations and unwinding after work, with a label reminiscent of flavored seltzer. Mollo comes designed as a beer substitute ideal for BBQs and watching sportsball games with its retro-stubby beer bottle aesthetic. Verywell is an iced tea that comes in slim cans aimed at the cannabis wellness market, while XMG is a canned higher potency cannabis drink that screams energy beverage with its college bro appeal.

Drinkable cannabis might still be unfamiliar to many people, but they are ideal for the casual cannabis consumer in many ways. Most drinks are made with low doses of THC, just enough to provide a comfortable buzz instead of inducing anxiety, which can happen with high doses of edible marijuana. 

So now, you can put those rolling papers to a different use.