Fancy Glass & Suspect Bong Water
Discover more from Sticky Bits by Lauren Yoshiko
Fancy Glass & Suspect Bong Water
Plus: pardons and pipe cleaners.
The Broccoli Report
Monday, May 2, 2022
Time to read: 4 minutes, 44 seconds. Contains 947 words.
Good morning!
April showers bring May flowers. This month, Hall of Flowers blooms in Palm Springs, followed by the Emerald Cup, which just announced that actor and soon-to-be dispensary owner Woody Harrelson would attend. I wish every brand and booth well!
If you spent the past two weeks binging the Always Sunny in Philadelphia podcast like me and could use a brief break from The Gang, the latest Broccoli Talk episode was a special one—Mennlay and I answered our first round of listener questions. They poured in from all over the world and ranged from getting into the industry to desert-island strains and dream blunt rotations. If you want to check it out, it’s available on Spotify, Apple Pods, Stitcher, and beyond.
This Friday, we’ll create a safe space to talk about what it takes to feel safe in the cannabis world. Subscribe to be part of the conversation.
One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance
Let’s start the week off with some good news: President Biden just issued three pardons and committed to lowering the sentences of 75 people serving long sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. One of the folks who got a pardon was Dexter Jackson, 52, a Georgia man who pleaded guilty to allowing weed dealers to use his pool hall "to facilitate drug transactions." Since his release from prison, Jackson converted his pool hall into a cell phone repair business, hiring local high school students through a program to give young adults work experience.
A belated congratulations to New Jersey for kicking off adult-use sales—I truly cannot imagine the positive weed energy in the air as people purchased their first legal grams so close to 4/20. I wonder if the timely, festive launch pressured NY regulators to get their affairs together. It seemed mighty bold for the state’s Cannabis Control Board to declare last week that legal sales are likely to start “by this fall.”
Via WeedWeek: Tough lessons in growth via a leaked, tense phone call between executives and long-time employees at Eaze and the recently acquired Colorado-based retailer Green Dragon. Though the callers discussed issues of leadership, culture changes, layoffs, and social equity priorities, they didn’t mention last month’s picket line at a Green Dragon facility. However, I imagine having UFCW Local 7 in the mix—a union representing over 1.3 million cannabis workers—is a complicating factor.
In a major moment for the art of cannabis accessory design, the whimsical, ‘90s-inspired pieces of Coldberger have made it to the gift shop shelves of the Corning Museum of Glass. It’s the first time that the American authority on the art, history, and science of glass has stocked a smokable piece.
Two new accessory cleaning solutions: One that intrigues me, and one that concerns me. To use Suds By Budz, the cleaning mixture from NYC cannabis lifestyle brand VITABUDZ, you soak your pieces in boiling water with a tablespoon of the powdered mix, then rinse. Allegedly, no shaking is required—a novel concept for frequently used bongs like mine.
The challenge of getting built-up resin gunk out of a bong’s narrow nooks and crannies inspired Piece Water, a “bong water alternative” with a thicker viscosity to stop resin from forming on the glass. While I have no doubts this works to keep your piece cleaner, the consumer safety element gives me pause. The proprietary blend of mineral, vegetable, and fruit extracts is vague. While the brand does provide (redacted) certificates of chemical analysis safety from a third-party lab, I’m skeptical about potentially inhaling Piece Water particles. But maybe I’m just old-fashioned—clinical study on gold inhalation notwithstanding, I’ve never felt safe trying those gold leaf papers.
After the Emerald Cup on May 14th, weed awards season continues with Cannaclusive’s Accountability List Awards in Los Angeles. (The June date is yet to be announced.) The finalists for the awards recognizing dedication to equity-building efforts have been announced, but there’s still time to vote for the People’s Choice Award.
Halal Hemp, a certification program partnered with the American Halal Foundation that aims to destigmatize cannabis and hemp in Muslim and BIPOC communities around the world, is throwing an Eid celebration in New York this Saturday, May 7th. If you’d like to learn more about getting your product(s) Halal certified, head here.
On Wednesday, May 11th, House of Puff and Etain will celebrate the launch of their Chris Wilson Rolling Papers with an exclusive preview of the social justice activist and artist’s abstract paintings at Etain (242 E. 58th Street, NYC). Wilson’s collection “memorializes the mental process the artist used to endure solitary confinement.” A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Solitary Watch, a nonprofit working to inform policymakers and the public about the devastating impacts of solitary confinement.
OURA rings may be the wearable wellness tech of the moment, but WHOOP wristbands help track something OURA doesn’t: cannabis consumption. WHOOP wearers can record cannabis usage on the app, allowing them to learn how dosage and timing may affect the body in terms of athletic performance and sleep.
Hats off to Puffco for creating the most effective secret pipes since the cigarette-shaped one-hitter. Behold: the to-go coffee cup pipe and a droppable bong that looks like an ordinary Nalgene.
British Columbia brand Pure Sunfarms launches a one-of-a-kind collection of vintage finds joyously embellished with cannabis-inspired artwork on Friday. The FLOWERHOOD collection—a “neighborhood” inspired celebration of the connection between plants and people—features a hand-painted denim jacket, screen-printed tees, and embroidered Japanese chore coats customized by six international artists, all inspired by specific Pure Sunfarms strains.
Back to my flowerhood,
Lauren Yoshiko