Jointly app helps canna-curious figure out what works for them

According to the Jointly: Cannabis Wellness app, nearly one out of three Arizonans who logged into the free app consumes cannabis to "relax and refresh." Those are the biggest reasons people consume marijuana in this state, according to the experience-based cannabis product rating platform.

The app solicits consumers to ask themselves, "What kind of experience am I after?" The self-analysis demonstrates to cannabis users "purposeful cannabis consumption," which is broken down into 11 experiences that "is the key to unlocking a new level of well-being."

The second-most popular reason Arizona Jointly subscribers consume cannabis is to "relieve everyday stress," which accounts for one of four participating Arizonans.

The remaining nine choices are: to focus and create; improve sleep; ease everyday pain; enjoy social experiences; energize and uplift; replace other substances; enhance intimacy; recover from exercise; and stimulate appetite, which was the experience with the lowest percentile among the Grand Canyon State's subscribers.

Jointly has more than 200,000 unique cannabis experiences from worldwide users in its database. Many live in metro Phoenix. On the app, which can be downloaded onto IOS or Android devices, users rate the cannabis products they consume, which helps fellow-valley cannabis users determine the best outcome for their needs. But unlike Yelp and Google Reviews, where almost anybody with a device can instantaneously key in on their experience about a product and service — a single Jointly rating takes a few minutes to input into the cannabis product database.

Newbies on the app are asked to input their age, height, weight, ethnicity, education, marital status, employment status, and a mugshot. All questions are optional.

Once the profile is squared away, the user can "add experience." Here is where you choose a product within the database. On a scale from one to 10, "How well did the product help you achieve your goals?" the app asks. On the touchscreen, there's an interactive slider; the furthest slide toward the right provides the best rating.

The app then asks what time the cannabis product was consumed and the time of the last prior session. The following window asks, "On the day of this session, did you exercise?" Then you have to rate your hydration level at the time and how full your stomach was.

Finally, "Did you experience any side effects: red eye, dizziness, impaired movement, drowsiness, munchies, dry mouth, disorientation, slow reaction time, memory issues, paranoia, skin irritation?"

And that's the first part of the questionnaire, which helps track the 15 factors that can impact your cannabis experience — whether it's a good trip, "meh" trip, or bad trip. Once you hone in on what causes the nasty side effects, you'll have a more straightforward pathway to creating the optimal cannabis experience nearly every time.

"Every new report you make helps improve your cannabis wellness results," the app explains.

"The more results you submit, the higher your rank will be." In essence, your responses are creating your profile. The more frequent you input truthful reviews, the better the app will understand what's the best product for you to unlock that "new level of well-being."

All data is aggregated and anonymized; personal information always remains private, reads the app. It also ensures that every product it recommends is safe to use. The app's staff only works with "legal, compliant, and licensed products, brands, stores, and retailers."

The second part of the questionnaire is more profound, asking, "What type of exercise did you do?" Then the app asks the user to rate the quality of their diet that day and if eggs, avocado, black tea, dark chocolate, thyme, green tea, mango, sage, broccoli, nuts, and fish, were eaten six hours before consuming the cannabis product. The app says when the aforementioned "companion foods" are mixed with the experience, the user can get higher.

"What best describes your physical setting?" inquires the app. Are you "inside at home, at work, a restaurant/bar/club, in nature, somewhere else, outside at home, at school, a concert or a music venue, or a combination of many of these?"

Finally, the second part of the questionnaire concludes by asking who you were with at the time.

The company touts that "Jointly is the first experience-based cannabis wellness tracker and product rating platform, harnessing the wisdom of the community."

"Cannabis products ain't cheap," posted ldg50006, a Jointly app user, "so I want to make sure it's going to do the job when I buy something." Another user added, "Using Jointly, I've been able to track and learn which products do the job for me."

Circling back to the Arizonians who consume cannabis to "relax and refresh," — the app suggested edibles as the best method of consumption, and Timeless products were voted with the highest average rating on the list. Timeless is a local company that provides products from the Timeless Vapes, Canary Raw, and Waffles & Co. brands. The High Supply brand took second place, and Releaf Brands Inc. finished third.

If the user has insomnia, the app recommended flower as the best way to medicate, and listed Select as the top brand choice for locals to "improve sleep"; Verano took second place, and Aeriz finished third.

To "relieve everyday stress," Jointly suggested flowers as the best consumption method in Arizona; Verano products ranked numero uno on the app's recommendations within our state.

The app also helps relieve stress on the local dispensary managers. It equips sales teams with "the tools to deliver knowledgeable, effective, and consistent product selection experiences, regardless of their level of expertise."

Jointly co-founders David Kooi and Eric Gutshall were "driven by their passion for solving problems through data and building businesses that make people's lives better." They developed the app with help from budtenders, physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals.

On Apple's app store, Jointly has received over 300 reviews, earning a 4.4-star average rating out of a perfect 5. While the app scores high for most cannabis users, a few 1-star ratings have been posted.

"When you go to make a report, it claims it will be accepted and up within 24 hours, and that does not happen," Alyssa K. commented last year with a 1-star review.

"I want to easily keep track of which strains I'm consuming, so I have a good idea of what works for me."

Others on the app who gave a low rating shared similar sentiments. A Jointly developer responded to Alyssa and the other consumers:

"This is fixed now! You can now add your own strains and products to your own private collection. Plus, our database of strains and products is now over 90,000 long — so we've got a lot more than we did last August."

If you're simply curious about a cannabis product's rating, click product discovery, then click one of the nine available experiences. That'll prompt you to eight categories: flower smoke, vape oil, edibles, drink, topical, tincture, dabbable concentrates, and intimate products. The following window will show the various types of cannabinoids — then you can discover the best products in your area.

As Jointly's 200,000 unique cannabis experiences grow, its community will be closer to mastering "purposeful cannabis consumption" — which the app says "makes us more, not less."