An experiment in mixing Fast Asleep and Stay Asleep gummies to knock my ass out
As some food historians (and my dad) tell it, Howard Johnson’s ruled the affordable food kingdom until McDonald’s ate their lunch. HoJo lost its mojo, and dug its heels in rather than adapt, rebuild, and come back stronger. In the end, they lost at their own game. It didn’t matter that they came first. McDonald’s was better and faster and flashier.
Wana is hardly Howard Johnson’s. Far from it. They may have been early to market and command an enormous slice of the infused edible pie, but the Colorado-founded Cali-approved legacy brand is a giant with staying power, as beloved by everyday consumers as they are by cannabis cup judges and snobs. Their product is reliable and undeniable across state lines, which can’t be said of some of their competitors. On top of that foundational formula, they’re also on their toes, perpetually retooling their flagship products as others play catch-up.
Wana is best known for its Quick Fast-Acting Gummies, which miraculously “harness TiME (Thermodynamic Individual Molecular Encapsulation),” a “quick onset technology” from the formerly Boston-based company Azuca. “While traditional edibles convert Delta-9-THC in the digestive tract to 11-Hydroxy-THC,” since 2020, Wana Quick candies have featured “individually encapsulated Delta-9-THC cannabinoids with greater bioavailability that work at the molecular level to bypass the liver and enter the bloodstream immediately. This means onset in less than 15 mins for most, and a Delta-9-THC experience that lasts two to four hours.”
While there were skeptics aplenty at first, by now it’s common knowledge among gummy bearers that Wana, while obviously different for any given person, provides an impressive edible arrangement. And the ones that say “fast” in the label (5 to 15 minute onset in the case of the Fast Asleep Dream Berry gushers I sampled) work as promised, presumably on the strength of their “custom blend of CBD, THC, CBG, CBN, and melatonin … enhanced with more than 30 specialized terpenes” and “curated based on AI-generated data from thousands of consumer experiences.” At least in my experience.
I went about testing those and their Stay Asleep sedatives after a few nights of having some real trouble dozing. Work and home life were both busy and I couldn’t wind down after evening writing sessions; even full blunts weren’t putting me away for more than a couple of hours, and even when I did shut off, I woke too early and too easily. All things considered, I liked the idea of getting to sleep asap, and crashing past an early wakeup.
After experimenting with a smaller amount that was slightly helpful, on a night where I felt that I really needed to conk out I chewed 20mg of the Stay Asleep ones at 11pm, then 20mg of the Fast Asleep ones at midnight. And whaddya know, it was lights out within 20 minutes followed by nine hours of uninterrupted hibernation. I really cannot stress enough how rare that is for me. And I didn’t feel groggier than usual the following morning; if anything, I felt more energized.
As for the taste, flavor, and mouthfeel … with Wana you can always expect way-above-average quality, basically products that were thoroughly considered as opposed to imagined on Monday, whipped up on Wednesday, tested the following Tuesday, and on sale the next Saturday. These are both meaty, solid, fruity (the Stay Asleep bites are particularly tart), and chewy like the Wana standard-issues, with slightly different shapes to differentiate between the two (I’ll avoid distinguishing them here since the presentation, like the serving size, may vary between markets per state regulations, as variations of these gummies are available in rec states nationwide).
With Wana’s track record, it should be easy to entrust them with something as important as your sleep. I’ll go as far as to say that if a handful of either of these new sleep gummies don’t knock you down, you may want to consult a physician who deals in drugs harder than cannabis.
This article was published with permission from Talking Joints Memo. Read more of their cannabis coverage at talkingjointsmemo.com
A Queens, NY native who came to New England in 2004 to earn his MA in journalism at Boston University, Chris Faraone is the editor and co-publisher of DigBoston and a co-founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. He has published several books including 99 Nights with the 99 Percent, and has written liner notes for hip-hop gods including Cypress Hill, Pete Rock, Nas, and various members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
