Editor’s note: This article was originally published in July 2024. It has been updated in May 2025 to reflect current availability of the product and the evolving cultural context around cannabis.

“Weed is fun. Let’s face facts, it’s fun,” says Andrew Rea, the culinary maestro behind the wildly popular YouTube channel Binging with Babish, in an exclusive interview.

A Decade-Long Love Affair: From ‘Vapor Poo’ To ‘Digital’ Weed

Rea is not just a chef but a storyteller, seamlessly weaving narratives into recipes through his culinary recreations from movies, TV shows, and video games. His YouTube channel, Babish Culinary Universe, boasts more than 10 million subscribers and has become a beloved cornerstone of the online foodie community. His journey with cannabis, however, is a tale of personal discovery and therapeutic exploration.

“When I first started smoking weed, the only options were from shady characters and college kids on bikes in New York City,” Rea reflects with a smile. “If you had told me about the tech and availability now… If you had told me that weed would effectively become digital, that we’d have vaporizers that are disposable, that you would be able to walk around and smoke in a completely seamless and painless manner, and even get it delivered to your house above the letter of the law… I wouldn’t have believed it. But that’s the case now. It takes 45 minutes to order anything from my local dispensary.”

Rea’s journey with cannabis began about a decade ago, initially using it for both recreational and therapeutic purposes. “I’ve been roughly a daily user for about 10 years now, and it’s been incredible to see the cannabis landscape change in that time.” Battling anxiety and major depressive disorder, Rea finds solace and stability in cannabis. “It’s helped me manage my symptoms in some cases… and it’s also just fun,” he says.

Reminiscing about the early days, Rea talks about his first weed-infused culinary creations. “I bought a vaporizer called The Magic Flight Launch Box, which looked like something a Boy Scout made,” he laughs. “Back then, the only way I could make edibles was by using vaporized weed – which is already decarboxylated, and spreading it on peanut butter and Graham crackers to make something called firecrackers. The vaporized weed was colloquially referred to as ‘vapor poo,’” he adds with a humoristic tone.

The Babish THC-Infused Sugar Is Here

In 2024, Rea announced his latest cannabis venture: a collaboration with Old Pal to launch “Old Pal x Babish THC-Infused Sugar”. The product combines Old Pal’s cannabis extracts with Rea’s culinary sensibility, offering a versatile, precision-dosed THC-infused sugar designed for both novice and experienced consumers.

Babish x Old Pal Sugar – Courtesy of Old Pal

“I knew I wanted to make a THC-infused sugar that didn’t add any flavor and could be used seamlessly in any recipe,” Rea explains. “It took quite a while to find a partner capable of doing that at the level Old Pal could. They not only met but exceeded my expectations.”

The result is a sugar that offers precise dosing and easy integration into a wide range of recipes. Each teaspoon contains 5 MG of THC, allowing consumers to customize their experience. “It’s super accurate. If you use a set amount in your recipe and then divide that recipe into serving sizes, you know exactly how much you’re taking into your system,” Rea explains. “You can also just grab a tablespoon-full and put it in your coffee, and you know exactly how much you’re ingesting.”

The sugar has since rolled out in dispensaries across select states.

Rea highlights the importance of safety and convenience in cannabis edibles. “There’s always a horror story about eating a brownie, not feeling anything for two hours, having another one, and then feeling like one’s gonna die,” he says. “So, to be able to make predictable homemade edibles that are both safer… and more convenient is amazing. It’s also one of the most pure cannabis experiences that I could imagine: it’s the least harmful (I would imagine) for your body since you’re not smoking it.”

Only A High Person Could Think Of This

“Weed let me look at the world through a new lens really, which I needed in my 20s when I was trying to make it in New York City,” Rea reflects. “I was thinking very inside the box, and it was very nice to take a peek outside the box thanks to cannabis here and there.”

When asked if he was high when coming up with the idea for recreating recipes from movies, video games, TV shows, and cartoons, he candidly admits: “I think so. If we’re playing the odds here, it was nighttime in 2016… I’d say I was very likely high.”

He also emphasizes that cannabis isn’t a cure-all: “I recommend going to therapy first, not using weed to treat anything. It is not a fixer; it is an augmenter.”

The Journey To Mainstream Acceptance

Rea’s relationship with cannabis is multifaceted. He speaks about the therapeutic benefits, noting how it helps to “round off the hard edges of the day.” And while he uses prescription medication for his diagnosed conditions, cannabis complements his mental wellness. “If alcohol blurs them [the hard edges], weed rounds them,” he says.

He draws a thoughtful distinction between therapeutic and medicinal use: “Instead of treating my existing conditions, which I use prescription medications to do, [cannabis] broadened my horizons… It gave me new perspectives and new experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Creative Cannabis Icons

When asked who he’d most like to share a joint with, Rea doesn’t hesitate: “I want to smoke a joint with Daniels, the directors of Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

He also dreams of sparking up with director Richard Linklater. “He’s one of my very favorite filmmakers, he filmed my favorite pot-smoking scene of all time, and he knows great music,” he says.

The Future Of Edibles

Looking ahead, Rea continues to champion innovation in cannabis cuisine. “I wanted to make something that definitely does the job for weed experts but also is inviting and accessible to people who have never tried cannabis before,” he explains.

His collaboration with Old Pal marks a major step in that direction—blending culinary creativity, safety, and precise dosing in a format that’s both fun and functional. And with growing access in multiple states and a growing audience of curious foodies, Rea’s sugar may be just the beginning.

Read next: ‘Willy Wonka Of Weed’ Opens The Doors To The RAW Factory: Here’s What We Saw

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This article was originally published on Forbes and appears here with permission. The article is from an external source. It does not represent Benzinga’s reporting and has not been edited for content or accuracy.

Photo courtesy Old Pal