Strains For The Screen & Pro-Drug Dogs
Plus: Flavored papers are back.
The Broccoli Report
Monday, July 18, 2022
Time to read: 5 minutes, 32 seconds. Contains 1107 words.
Good morning!
The Lonely Hearts posts have begun to roll in—but the more, the merrier, so please keep them coming! Consider the missing link on your team/next step in your career/dream collaborator/niche designer you need, write out who you are and what you’re looking for, and share your post with me at yoshikolauren@gmail.com before July 26th. Don’t worry about perfect phrasing—just be descriptive, and we’ll help smooth and sweeten things from there.
To help get your gears turning, here are a few of my favorite posts from past rounds:
HOT CHOCOLATE: I’ve nailed the recipe for a fancy Snickers bar that I want to make with THC but need help to make it happen. Are you an edible producer or farm ready to partner on what will be the best-tasting infused candy bar in the market? Get in touch: william@enjoyflordemaria.com.
PICTURE PERFECT: Photographer and stylist duo offering competitive rates on advertising photography to companies in the cannabis industry. We have honed our technical skills for mainstream brands for many years, but we need to nurture our passion for creative imagery and cannabis. Would love to realize your vision or create an aesthetic that represents your brand. Get in touch: sophia.h.vandyk@gmail.com.
GOOD PIPES: California-based creative studio seeks pipe production goddess with manufacturing experience. We have designs and renders but need input on production and how and where to start. We’re also interested in speaking with retailers about what they’re looking for in a pipe. Get in touch: christopher@thegrassagency.com.
This Friday, I’m spilling some tea. Rather—opening the boxes? I’ll be getting real about the etiquette, expectations, and my aspirations for PR gifts and brand samples. I’ve been in the weed writing business since 2014, and since then, companies have grown much more comfortable sharing their goods by mail—maybe a little too comfortable. Sign up as a paid subscriber to hear me dish the dirt on this gray area of PR.
One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance
Dogs’ noses are a wonder of natural science. Their smell-detecting abilities have made them vital for law enforcement and bomb squads in the military—so vital that the government has been trying to build a robotic replica for years. Although cannabis-detecting dogs are becoming a thing of the past (at least domestically), a new application for the scent skills of canines in the cannabis space has emerged: detecting viruses and pathogens in grows. In partnership with Purdue University, Ohio-based company Bio Detection K9 is developing training processes for doggos to identify indications of diseases in crops before unsalvageable damage is done. The company has reportedly successfully trained canines to detect viral and bacterial diseases in various trees and tomatoes.
While we’re in the throes of wedding season: Has anyone seen a cannabis element pop up at a wedding? There haven’t been any CBD-infused guest gifts or rolling bars at the weddings I’ve attended this summer, but there’s some major potential in this realm. Besides well-labeled infused dessert options, the trend of drinking less and more responsibly shows no signs of abating, creating an opening for CBD beverages and low-dose THC brands on wedding menus as alternative social lubricants. It’s probably only a matter of time until CBD—and in legal states, THC—occupy a bigger niche within the wedding industry. Curious brands might consider catching the Cannabis Wedding Expo. It’s popping up in Arizona, Las Vegas, Denver, and Boston before the end of the year, providing a different environment for brands to connect with potential customers than typical trade shows or consumption-friendly events.
This September 17–18th, the International Women Cannabis Congress will take place at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. There isn’t info available yet for panels or additional conference content—and the webpage for the event is primarily in Spanish—but with familiar partners like Weedmaps and Jane West, signs point toward this being a great opportunity to connect with Puerto Rican hemp brands and women in the industry.
Flavored papers are making a comeback. Zig-Zag just launched a collection of strain-specific terpene-infused hemp cones, while Edie Parker dropped patterned Crush Cones in mint, peach and banana flavors. They remind me of Juicy Jays—those patterned, flavored papers that the FDA banned for a minute. While I’m sure these fresh takes taste and smoke way better than Juicy Jays, I do wonder about if there is risk in flirting with visuals and/or flavors that could be interpreted as appealing to teens.
Al Jazeera covered the fascinating gray market ballooning in Thailand since the country decriminalized cannabis last month. Supply chains for unlicensed shops have come together seemingly in an instant, and per the 21-year-old dispensary employee interviewed in the story, so have familiar notions that a new cannabis economy will provide desperately needed jobs, tax revenue, and agricultural demand. One challenge is figuring out how to grow high-THC plants that can compete with the potent, illicit U.S. flower dominating their market—a dilemma the Cookies brand seems to be moving in on.
Looni—the brand helmed by DJ and endometriosis and medical cannabis advocate Chelsea Leyland—has officially launched with the Balance Beam Mood Complex. This supplement, designed by a team of doctors, has a “select blend of concentrated bioavailable vitamins, minerals, nootropics and adaptogens” to support hormone and neurotransmitter balance. While it doesn’t contain any hemp or cannabinoids, it’s part of a system that breaks menstrual phases into “inner seasons.” Other products may end up incorporating cannabinoids in some way. This re-imagining of how women can think about their comfort and wellness throughout their cycles inspires me!
I haven’t seen the new Nic Cage action-comedy “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” but it’s cool that Lionsgate tapped Eaze when planning the film’s California marketing campaigns. Eaze partnered with cultivator THC Design to select a flower strain named “The Unbearable Eighth of Massive Chronic”—“Massive Chronic” for short—that was available on Eaze’s menu in California before and during the film’s theatrical run, coming in special co-branded delivery bags.
I’ll be spending however long it takes to get these coarse sugar-covered, infused Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies from culinary cannabis newsletter Fruit + Flower right this week. Alongside original recipes for infused eats and drinks, author Christina Wong shares info-packed guides on navigating CBD/THC drinks and personal essays, like this dispatch on psychedelic experiences.
If you’re looking for colorful, fresh-looking cannabis decor for a set (or your house), Pot Plant dropped a very pretty Pure Purple strain of their fake cannabis plants with a burgundy-tinged ombre along the edges of the leaves.
Back to my second job (managing the scent of real weed),
Lauren Yoshiko