Infused Ice & Vape Fires
Plus: Spotify lets weed in.
Monday, September 11, 2023
Time to read: About 5 minutes. Contains 884 words.
Good Morning!
If you’re building a brand, heading towards a rebrand, or considering hiring a designer for an upcoming project, last Friday’s dispatch about developing Sticky Bits’ new look is a must-read. In addition to a transparent breakdown of the back-and-forth that brought the concept to fruition—and why you’re seeing a different one today 👀 —it includes honest advice from three designers about what makes or breaks the most productive client relationships. From what recommended prep work can ensure success to the best types of mood boards and where to go for great examples, it’s a helpful read for any entrepreneur bringing a vision to life.
To read this design-minded dive—plus access all past trend reports, entrepreneurial tools like affiliate marketing and driving email sign-ups, one-on-one industry insider podcast eps, and support independent journalism—sign up as a paid subscriber.
One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance
Here’s a number to ponder: 5 million. That’s the number of vapes thrown away in the UK each week. Each week! The US population is well over four times the UK—the estimated math is not pretty. The UK has programs to recycle valuable copper and lithium batteries in many devices—a rare, if not inexistent service in the US—but a recent study found that only 17% of consumers dispose of their vapes in the proper recycling bins. The increasing mix of vapes with household garbage has resulted in daily fires(!) at waste facilities.
The ugly truth is that “disposable” vape pens are literal, actual hazardous waste. In California, a new law addressing this will require all all-in-one vape pens to be labeled and directed to be disposed of as such starting next summer.
Spotify is opening its doors to cannabis advertising. At the least, it’s cracking open the door for one of the big dogs. Cresco Labs Inc., a publicly traded, medical and adult use company based in Chicago, Illinois, announced an ad campaign to drive customers to its Sunnyside dispensaries that includes 30-second audio ads and in-app digital banners.
At this point in the game, there are fewer states without any forms of legalized cannabis than those flying their weed flags in the face of federal prohibition. North Carolina is one of those few holdouts. That may change sooner than later, though—just not at a state level. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians just approved a cannabis ballot question with a 70% majority in its general election. The measure allows anyone 21 and older, tribe members or not, to purchase and possess cannabis on the EBCI’s territory in the western part of the state.
We all knew it was a matter of time before New York’s free-for-all approach of public cannabis consumption would experience backlash. I don’t think any of us thought it’d come to a head on the court of the US Open.
It’s not just streaming platforms increasing their price plans. Weedweek highlighted companies across Southern California speaking up on social media after learning that Weedmaps is changing the payment structure for its core advertising business. One LA-area dispensary manager said the price of their basic monthly listing would jump from $495 to $1,695.
Speaking of—this Thursday, September 14, Weedweek author and my colleague Alex Halperin will host a free virtual panel with strategist Hirsh Jain and trademark attorney Mary Shapiro on the state of things in the California market, with a focus on the retail landscape in LA and SF over the next 12–18 months.
Are you a medical cannabis consumer? Dr. Adie Poe is gathering folks on behalf of Kevin F. Boehnke, PhD for an anonymous survey that will help inform doctors, researchers, policymakers, and patients about the potential benefits and risks of using medical cannabis products. Learn more and contribute to the study here, where you can also choose to provide contact information to be entered into a random drawing to win one of five $200 prizes.
In Los Angeles on September 30, a Latinas in Cannabis Summit is happening in Echo Park. The one-day event will combine speaker panels—one featuring Ranchera Familia, a farm growing some of the best, most terp-y, and potent hemp buds I’ve sampled—skill-building workshops, seshes, and impactful discussions geared toward addressing cannabis stigma, cannabis, and motherhood, and the Latina experience working in this industry.
High Finds: Lifestyle Goods I Like
A sturdy, easily Clorox-wiped poker remains possibly the most needed and most underserved accessory category. So, you can imagine how stoked I got to see these handy strawberry pokers by Ficus Ceramica out of New Orleans.
The hemp-heads over at Jungmaven have commenced their Fall 2023 drop with a round of moodier colors of their 100% hemp options, corduroy minis, and a hemp-blend turtleneck.
I don’t get excited about new edibles very often, but I like the chaotic good of the It’s All About Choices brand. True to the name, they sell all kinds of edibles—cookies, mashed potatoes, instant coffee mix—but I’m most fascinated by their packs of “infused freezable ice cubes.” An effortless way to infuse whatever you’re drinking without having to measure out a specific amount of tincture.
Cannabis-minded streetwear brand Talking Terps dropped a new, utterly frame-worthy puzzle featuring the psychedelic art of the talented Sunflower Form.
Back to my temporary office while I move apartments,
Lauren Yoshiko