As we enter this new era where weed is a wellness thing, sublinguals are on everyone’s tongue -- or under, as the case may be. They’re the DL alternative to edibles and vaping. Although stigmas over cannabis are breaking down every day, many people want to keep their usage to themselves. Maybe you live with family or in an apartment building with a strict manager or, ahem, nosy neighbors, so you don’t want to light up. But discretion isn’t the only perk.

So what are sublinguals, and how do they work?

The word sublingual may sound like something out of a humanities course catalog for an obscure ecological phenomenon, but it simply means something placed under your tongue, where it dissolves immediately. In fact, that’s all this term means, under the tongue. Our mouths’ mucous membranes are quite permeable, which makes them a rapid delivery system for substances. If you’ve ever had one of those extremely potent Listerine PocketPack strips, you have an idea of what a sublingual is. When it comes to cannabis, a sublingual acts in the same way.

Generally strips or little tablets, these magical weed-delivery systems help cannaisseurs steer clear of smoke, but also take effect faster than edibles and tincture-infused drinks (though you can take some tinctures sublingually). You’ll typically feel the effects of sublinguals within 15 to 30 minutes, compared with edibles, which take closer to 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the ingredients. Smoking and vaping are, of course, almost instantaneous.