May Flowers & One-Hitters
Cannabis and hemp news to know.
The Broccoli Report
Monday, May 3, 2021
Time to read: 5 minutes, 15 seconds. 1053 words.
Good morning!
We’ve got a serious sesh of updates from around the industry this week, so I’ll keep things short—not too short, though, to neglect mentioning this piece I wrote for Thrillist. It’s about a weed-friendly AirBnB in Detroit that transformed into much more over the past year in response to their community’s needs. I can’t wait to visit the Copper House myself.
I know every week I remind anyone who hasn’t yet become a paid subscriber to do so because whatever’s coming in Friday’s newsletter is too vital to miss. But this week, I really mean it. Because this Friday, I’m sharing an interview with the founder of an adult-use vape pen brand that got acquired by a Canadian company. They get real about how it happened, who cared about what in negotiations, and then—plot twist—they explain how they bought their company back last year. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you do not want to miss this one.
One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance
Catch my Broccoli Talk co-host Mennlay Aggrey getting candid about her baby Xula in her latest piece for Vogue: “What I Learned Starting A Cannabis Business in a Pandemic.” Hint: Mennlay’s worked on every side of this industry, and no, starting a CBD brand rather than going for adult use does not make things easier.
The Cannabis Business Times offers a 4/20 snapshot of a burgeoning Southern medical industry. In Arkansas, over 3,500 people became medical patients between March 20 to April 10 in time to shop for the holiday, kicking the state’s total patient population over 74,000. For the first two weeks of April, daily medical cannabis sales in Arkansas averaged just under $900,000—per day.
One surprise 4/20 FOMO moment of mine: envying Los Angeles stoners with access to Boy Smells’ collab with La Morra Pizzeria on a pie inspired by their Italian Kush candle, delivered in the cutest special edition pizza box.
Denver is setting the stage for a much more interesting cannabis hospitality scene when pandemic restrictions ease. Proposals for more liberal social consumption lounge regulations breezed through the Denver city council, allowing for the city to start issuing permits for indoor smoking, micro-sales, and mobile lounges as soon as July.
Vaped.com is hiring a full-time product tester, as in, yes—they’re looking to pay someone to vape all day and report back. The gig pays a $42,000/year salary (lol) and includes three weeks of paid time off (you’ll need tolerance breaks, after all).
Architectural Digest highlighted fine cannabis retail across the country in a 4/20 roundup, from the dramatic Carrara marble black-and-white checked floor at Synchronicity Holistic in Carmel, California, to the “boldly veined” Amazonite marble desks at Elevate in Los Angeles and the apothecary-inspired space of Level Up in Scottsdale, Arizona. My question is whether these posh shops have people lining up at the door on opening day, like the 1000-person queue the skate culture-centric STIIIZY drew at their San Bernardino location’s opening last month?
Women Empowered In Cannabis (WEIC)—a community of women working in cannabis and ancillary industries who’ve connected over LinkedIn and Facebook groups—launched a new platform to help women in the industry network and share resources more safely on their own channels.
The Cannabis Worker’s Coalition launches the Cannabis Worker Support Group, a program that will partner with mental health professionals, life coaches, and certified healers to support workers recovering from toxic work environments. I think there’s a huge need for this. Almost every budtender I’ve spoken to over the past year did not receive hazard pay in 2020, or even a raise, while they read headline after headline about record-breaking sales—that alone requires professional help to work through. Brands can support this program by supporting the coalition’s overall efforts; please consider donating here. For more classic sponsorship options (the kind that includes shout-outs and representation for your brand), email the coalition directly.
A new Virginia nonprofit is on a mission to “legalize it right” in their state. Marijuana Justice aims to help repeal prohibition—including the fees, fines, or penalties still in question that further criminalize youth—and repair communities through reinvested revenue and reparative business models that foster equitable pathways for entrepreneurs from communities most impacted by drug prohibition in Virginia.
Weed emblazoned wallpaper is having a moment. Decor brand Jungalow released this vintage-y print (“Gangalow”), and Circa Wallcovering just launched two patterns “in the spirit of Gothic Revival and high glam.” Plus weed.
Did you see NBA star Carmelo Anthony is getting into the biz? Both he and John Wall helped California-based, equity-driven cannabis brand LEUNE raise roughly $5 million in their recent round of fundraising.
Indie retailer Valfre launches an adorable, affordable smoke shop of trays, joint cases, Elvira-inspired ashtrays, silicone pipes, and grinders, all featuring signature illustrations by Mexican-American artist and brand founder Ilse Valfre.
Mister Green drops Collection 10, including a perfectly neon-green branded grow pot cover for that solitary plant on your balcony. (It sold out within days).
LA luxury boutique Maxfield introduces RAMSTAD, a new vintage smokeware brand featuring items like rare Japanese lighters, ‘70s-era Gucci ashtrays, and a $4,200 antique Tiffany & Co. humidor.
Another virtual art show of interest: HIGH ON LIFE, a solo exhibition of watercolors and limited-edition wearable art by artist Fahren Feingold, presented by The Untitled Space in New York. Centered around the self-healing properties of Mother Earth, Feingold took inspiration from all that Earth offers: “mushrooms, flowers, marijuana, crystals, minerals, butterflies—the nutrients of the Earth and the words they inspired in me.” The series is available to view through July 31st.
The ultimate outdoorsbong is back! Dangle Supply collaborates with Poler on an Orange Speckle DangleBong Titanium Water Pipe in the same efficient seven-inch height and unbreakable, medical-grade titanium.
As someone who is better about remembering to pack spare salt packets in her purse than lip balm, I feel like Studio A-OK’s non-infused Fleur de Sel drop will be a key new element to my personal brand.
Stay salty (in the best way),
Lauren Yoshiko