Slactavis Sours is 1500 milligrams of “RSO-style” syrup (RSO is Rick Simpson Oil, the renowned cannabis oil that many people swear by used to treat cancer and other ailments) in a 4-ounce bottle, and proffers a particularly strong edibles-like high, though one you’ve got a little more control over. It hits you quick and all at once (weird side effect: a ringing in my ears) not a few hours later like a whole weed brownie or something and drapes you in a cloak of dullness. What Slactavis Sours doesn’t enable, however, is that antsy edibles energy—no ramp-up here; just a splat kind of stoned that then oozes through your body starting at your eyelids. And for those who have to smoke a lot to feel better, sipping some of this syrup is easier and more low maintenance than maybe inhaling a lot of some really intense strain to help what hurts (a friend with asthma who has had to stop smoking loves it).
Some advice: Go with the sour grape flavor. It is the most overpowering and engaging—the grape taste peaks through and collaborates with the cannabis taste instead of just drowning it out. Puncture a small hole in the foil covering the lip of the bottle so you can lightly sip it rather than guzzle too fast (another friend found it useful to sip over the holidays to tolerate their family). And lastly, once you’ve drank the bottle, stretch that shit out by filling the bottle with water and shaking it up—you’ll have another night or two of quiet, slow burn highs. Or fill the bottle with water, drink it, and repeat a whole bunch of times and sit back and feel like you’re covered in tar.
Slactivis Sours is branded a bit like lean—the wildly popular, rather dangerous codeine-laced cough syrup, Promethazine (the brand Actavis made the syrup until recently, stopping because of all the negative PR)—and that’s kind of fucked up. And even though Slactivis is essentially recommending its product as a healthier alternative to lean, that’s deceptive: Insofar as Slactavis Sours is also something viscous that’ll get you high and, unlike lean, this won’t potentially stop you heart, that much is true. But the highs aren’t that similar to lean. And then there is its presentation: The bottle looks stupid with this cartoon character on it that’s like the Warheads candy logo and the fonts are all puffy and drippy and the label reads like a drug rugger’s bad, offensive joke (“Report to Dr. Dodo if you wake up in public naked”).
Depending on your tolerance for weed’s current respectable rebranding (weed yoga woo!), this redolent pain reliever is either regressive stoner bullshit or a welcome stubby stoner thumb in the eye of “good” taste. (Brandon Soderberg)
- Strength: 10
- Nose: fake grape
- Euphoria: 9
- Existential dread: 7
- Freaking out when a crazy person approaches you: 7
- Drink pairing: Not liquor you fucking dipshits
- Music pairing: A three-song playlist on a loop featuring The Botany Boyz’s ‘Smokin’ and Leanin,’ Karen Gwyer’s ‘Maukon,’ and Peter Brown’s ‘Without Love’
- Rating: 7