Nature'z Twist: Orange You Glad You Drink Cannabis?

​"There are a number of things that could go wrong with a cannabis orange soda," I thought to myself as I brought my $8 Nature'z Twist Orange home from The Green Skunk, a medical marijuana collective in north Seattle.

I mentally ticked off a few on the ferry ride back home: the soda could be too flat, as in under-carbonated; it could be too weak, as in under-cannabinated; and it could be too watery, as in under-juiced.

My Nature'z Twist Orange was none of these things. It had a delightful effervescence and a robust flavor -- and crucially, it had a working dose of cannabinoids, too.

That became obvious about an hour after drinking it, when a pleasantly dazed lethargy crept over me, taking pain and stress with it and resulting in several wonderful hours of comfortable rest.

There is room for improvement, however. First of all, Nature'z Twist is one of the few medicated drinkables companies I've seen using (green) plastic, rather than glass, bottles; the flavor might have been even better and more pristine had the soda been encased in glass.

​Secondly, a list of ingredients would be a nice addition to the label, as would a specific amount of cannabis per drink, like some other bottlers on Seattle's growing medicated drinkables scene. For instance, THC Treats now lists "Cannabis Extract 33 mg" on their labels.

But with flavor and potency already where they should be, it's just a matter of fine tuning that label -- and changing to glass bottles -- before Nature'z Twist is ready to join the highest tier of cannabis drinks in town.

I found my Nature'z Twist Orange at The Green Skunk, 11231 Roosevelt Way NE, phone 417-1973, email thegreenskunk206@gmail.com, website thegreenskunk.com. You'll need your Washington state ID and a tamper-proof medical marijuana recommendation to get in.

Steve Elliott edits Toke of the Town, Village Voice Media's site of cannabis news, views, rumor and humor.