Gudtrip, a venture capital-backed cannabis hardware company, said it has developed a system that pays consumers for smoking weed.
The company sells a limited variety of vapes and pre-rolls, which are described as a combination of cannabis, blockchain rewards and AI-powered assets tools. Each device has an NFC tag or QR code sticker, allowing users to tap or scan the product with their phone, open the Gudtrip web link and claim Bitcoin rewards directly.
The Gudtrip app connects users to the company’s network and allows them to track activity and progress toward unlocking rewards.
“Every inhale syncs with your phone and earns users Bitcoin or Gudtrip points in real time,” the company said in a promotional video. “This is the first step toward a smarter cannabis culture.”
Critics of the tech suggest “gamifying” cannabis use could be dangerous.
“Linking a reward to a puff/smoking session reinforces the behavior, increasing the chance of escalating use and even developing an addiction,” Janna Cousijn, head of the Neuroscience of Addiction Lab at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, told DL News.
But Gudtrip insists it’s not a gimmick.
“It's a differentiator that drives customer loyalty. The web-based, no-install flow removes friction - customers redeem in seconds,” the company said, adding that it sold out of its first product batch in Santa Monica within a week and recorded an 80% vape customer conversion rate at NUG, its retail partner.
The company is launching in California and New York.
