‘Dad Grass is (kinda) like a mocktail version of smoking marijuana

Now that marijuana is legal in lots of places, it’s time to admit that it can hit you pretty darn hard. While there always have been and always will be superhumans who can not only handle themselves, but willingly perform stand up comedy while stoned, the rest of us  mortals will have trouble handling anything more complicated than a TV remote. Ever been too high to open a bag of salt & vinegar potato chips?

This is where Dad Grass comes in. Unlike most CBD brands that pitch themselves as alternative medicines or supplements, Dad Grass is proudly marketed as a throw-back to the kind of mellow high people used to experience in the halcyon weed-smoking days of the 1960’s (or whatever – I wasn’t around then).

Dad Grass’s Seussian slogan, “Low dose, full toke/Like your parents used to smoke,” is particularly apt for anyone who’s ever gotten high with their parents, since in that situation your mom is sure to at some point say, “Wow this is so much stronger than the stuff I smoked when I was a kid!” while helping herself to a sleeve of Oreos.

“Low dose” is putting it mildly. Despite the fact that a single hit of a halfway-decent Indica blend will knock me out for the night, Dad Grass didn’t get me anywhere near “high.” Instead, I felt the kind of mild relaxation that anyone feels once they indulge in the controlled-breathing that accompanies any kind of smoking. Visit a hookah bar to see what I mean.

I’m aware that makes me an outlier: CBD, which comes from hemp rather than cannabis and contains less than 0.3% THC, is said to help with everything from anxiety to weight-loss – but it’s also entirely unregulated by the FDA, and doctors warn that in some specific cases it can actually interact with some antidepressants (hypothetically, anyway – they compare it to the effects of eating grapefruit, and most doctors just stress that they’re not 100% sure this stuff does anything medicinal because nobody has fully studied it that way), making it a dubious solution for serious or chronic illnesses.

But as far as being something that’s fun to puff on? Dad Grass is “the absolute tops,” as they probably said back in the sixties, and there’s something innately satisfying about rolling and smoking your own “joint” from the kind of charming, tasteful “kits” that make up Dad Grass’s packaging. Does admitting that I’m this easy to impress make me seem cheugy? I don’t care, because it’s a satisfying smoke and besides, I’m not even sure I’m using that word right.

With marijuana’s growing acceptance and sheer momentum toward federal legalization (19 states and counting have legalized recreationally, and 48 have legalized it medicinally), a lighter, more casual form of the drug is likely to carve out its own niche in the near future. This is Dad Grass’s angle, and it’s a smart one: There will always be a few weirdos out there who want to improve themselves or their lives, but everyone else likes to indulge in a vice now and again.

If your interest is at all piqued, I’d recommend checking out the Dad Grass shop, which features a collection of fun novelty products like “Dad Stash,” metal boxes to surreptitiously store your hemp (or whatever…), as well as a rolling machine, which I’d really wish they’d sent me along with the rest of the test-product, since I’m absolutely helpless when it comes to fine motor-skills. Besides, who couldn’t use a set of rolling papers, including filters, and sealed by a magnetized latch? People who don’t smoke, I guess, but they’re not reading this article.

Browse Dad Grass’s selection here.

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Joshua Sargent