The slice of cake was simply mouth-watering. It was multi-coloured with buttercream frosting spread on top, making it visually appealing. It comprised the regular components expected to be used in the baking of a cake. This cake, however, also included a special ingredient. It was infused with cannabis.
That special ingredient, which still remains illegal in this country, is what most people purchase the cake for. Its taste is just the proverbial icing on the cake.
This "space cake", as it is called, is just one item on a menu of "edibles" being offered for sale locally.
Among the other items listed on the menu were m&m cookies, oreo brownies, and fruity pebbles krispies.
The sale of edibles has become a thriving business in this country within recent time.
The ability to get the effects of consuming marijuana without the smoky smell has attracted may people to edibles.
"Marijuana edibles" according to the Caricom Regional Commission on Marijuana’s report are defined as "food items made with marijuana or infused with marijuana oils. Edibles may be an alternative to smoking or vaporising marijuana".
"Edibles come in many forms, eg brownies, cookies, candies, including animal or fruit-shaped gummies, suckers and chocolates, and as beverages," the report stated.
Mary says she warns customers
Mary understands and warns her customers about the dangers of consuming large quantities of cannabis edibles.
Mary, whose real name has been changed to protect her identity, was the baker of the space cake.
"I always advise my customers to eat a little piece and wait for at least 30 minutes to see how their body reacts. We all have different levels of tolerance," Mary said.
Mary said she knows exactly what she puts into her products and can put a nutritional facts label on her products if needed.
However, because marijuana is still illegal here she does not do this since she can incriminate herself. "But I can tell anyone buying exactly what is in it," she said.
And there are many buyers.
The information Mary said she can supply to her customers includes the type of marijuana plant used.
Mary does not buy CBD oils but rather uses the actual plant in her food preparation.
"I'm not using any (CBD) oils. I'm cooking using my process so I know exactly what's going into it," she said.
Mary initially got into the business of making edibles as part of a "prank".
About five years ago she and some friends were liming, and while she was baking a box cake she decided to throw some weed in it.
Her friends enjoyed it and encouraged her to bake some more.
She began doing some research into the market.
Mary bought some "brownies" that were being sold by other people across the country and found they "all tasted like dirt".
She decided to make things she felt people would actually want to eat.
"The purpose started with just some fun for me and my friends, then it became a way to make extra cash, and then it grew into a mission to help people," Mary said.
"Yes, there are people who are sick, people who have cancer, have epilepsy and then there are people who are not physically sick but it is all about their wellness and their mental stability at the end of the day."
Mary now supplies products to people battling various ailments. The group includes paraplegics and cancer patients.
"If my product helps anybody come to the realisation that what you think is so bad may not be as bad, and for people who are sick if my product can help ease any pain, bring up their appetite, help them sleep, help them laugh, then I am doing probably what I was sent here to do," she said.
Mary said she hopes that one day people will stop seeing people "smoking weed, or eating weed as criminals".
"Including a plant in your food, what is wrong with that? We do that all the time when we cook," Mary said.
One rule that Mary said she has is that she does not sell any of her products to minors.
"It's not that it's not safe, it's just that I don't want to be responsible for anyone's child's life," she said.
While Mary abides by this rule for herself, she said one of her customers told her how a cupcake helped her daughter.
"The child has severe epilepsy and was not taking any of the medication they gave her, so the mother took a small piece of a cupcake and gave the child, and the child played outside that whole day, she did not suffer any seizures, and she had an appetite," Mary said.
“The parents saw a drastic change and saw their child actually enjoying life.”
Mary is hoping to eventually be able to enhance her menu and start making popcorn, teas and other options for vegans.
Mary, however, is not considering lollipops.
"Lollipops are a great loss for the business, I can't charge someone $100 for a lollipop but I also can't risk burning off my hand for a $30," she said.
As it stands now, Mary sells her cookies for $30, brownies $70, and krispies $60.
Why do edible marijuana products seem stronger?
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi mentioned the prevalence of edibles during the first public consultation on the decriminalisation of marijuana held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port-of-Spain, last month.
"The doubles man selling brownies in addition to doubles, the people who are bringing doubles to events with brownies on the side and the brownies have cannabis in them," Al-Rawi said.
"The danger is not the thing but how long the thing takes to work and, therefore, the fact that you may miss the mark and go over or go under as it has been explained to me, and eating a cookie marijuana may not create the quick high and you may overindulge," he said.
This was an issue addressed by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute of the University of Washington as they answered the question of "Why do edible marijuana products seem stronger?"
"The amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can vary in edible marijuana products. This makes it harder to control how much THC is consumed. The amount of THC in home-made marijuana edibles can vary even more. Many users can be caught off-guard by the stronger potency and long-lasting effects of edibles," the ADAI stated.