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If You Think E-Cigs Are Controversial, Wait Until E-Joints Flood the Market

The philosophy behind Juju Joint is that most life experiences would be enhanced with a nice little high going.
Image: Juju Joint/Instagram

A few weeks ago the internet went nuts over the "world's first electronic joint!" before realizing the totally pointless device actually contains no THC, doesn't get you high, and really has nothing to do with weed other than a marijuana leaf logo on the tip.

The E-Njoint's main selling point, as with other THC-free self-proclaimed first-ever digital joints, is that it's 100 percent legal—rarely the case in the booming underground weed vape business. Until recently.

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The post-legalization green rush is giving rise to some above-board innovations here. To wit: the pretty awesome if somewhat shady looking Juju Joint, which my colleague spotted this morning on /r/trees, marketed as a "sleek, discreet, vaporizing e-joint."

"Discreet" is an optimal word here. The philosophy behind Juju Joint is that most life experiences would be enhanced with a nice little high going, and this subtle portable vape pen—easily mistaken for a common e-cig—is a convenient way to toke on the go. The promo video shows customers jogging, dining out, a night out dancing, presumably high as a kite on vaporized THC.

"No fumbling with a bunch of pieces, no ashy mess," the founder, a former nightclub owner, says. "Just take a hit and you're good."

This ganja gadget, sold only to dispensaries in Washington state for the time being, distinguishes itself by targeting non-stoner types: people that just want to have a good time with an extra kick. But it's of course nowhere near the first portable vaporizer used for marijuana consumption.

No sooner than e-cigs became refillable, pot smokers starting hacking them to swap nic-juice for hash oil and replace cartridges with dank tanks. Then there are the legion of vape pens specifically designed for vaporizing marijuana concentrate instead of nicotine.

The e-joint by comparison is disposable, pre-filled, and super easy to use. Juju is among the first such electronic marijuana cigarettes, and most likely won't be the last. "I think in the next few months we'll probably see a lot of similar devices popping up," Juju Joint spokesperson Tallulah Anderson told me.

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Already authorities are worried the unregulated devices (the FDA has yet to pass its proposed rules banning e-cigs to minors) will lead to teens walking around getting baked in plain sight, in the hallways at school. And be it via a DIY Magic Flight Launch Box or specifically marketed discreet-looking portable weed vaporizer, I'm sure they are.

In reality, the e-weed trend is causing headaches beyond getting teens high. Refillable vape pens work similarly to e-cig mods in that users can fill them up with the liquid or oil of their choice. There are many forms of marijuana concentrate, made by extracting THC from cannabis, leaving behind extremely potent cannabinoids that can be as high as 90 percent THC, some three times stronger than a fatty analog spliff. Hence the term "dabbing," as just a dab of the stuff will get you fucked up. "That stuff is hardcore, honestly," Anderson said. "The whole dabbing thing, that is like, serious."

What's more, the THC extraction process, which uses CO2 or butane, which is basically lighter fluid, has led to explosions and injuries in makeshift weed labs; Slate's feature on the phenomenon is excellently titled "Baking Bad." It's caused some states where pot is legal to move to ban the drug in concentrate form, all in all not a great look for the marijuana legalization or e-cig movement.

Consumer-friendly, disposable e-joints are a bit of a different story; Juju Joints average 40 to 50 percent THC, depending on the strain. And there's some question of whether there's actually mass appeal here. As our friends at VICE skeptically wrote, "Who are these weed nerds trying to turn getting baked into a night out at PC World?"

E-joint merchants want the answer to that to be: anyone. "The Juju Joint is kind of an opposite product. It's actually specifically designed for people who are not everyday cannabis users," Anderson said. "It's a much milder product, much more for on the go consumption. You can take it to a show or you can take it to a dinner party and you can take a couple hits off it and you're not going to be totally messed up."