January 1 will forever be a day of celebration in Colorado, where recreational cannabis sales began on January 1, 2014. When 2019 begins, Colorado will mark five years of such sales, with an expected $6 billion collected during that span.
If anyone qualifies to be on the guest list of an anniversary celebration, it’s Sean Azzariti. The Marine Corps veteran, cannabis activist and medical marijuana patient consultant wasn’t just present during the first legal cannabis sale in Colorado: He made the purchase. With plenty of cameras and onlookers present, Azzariti bought an eighth of Bubba Kush and some infused chocolate truffles for $59.74 from Toni Savage Fox, then-owner of 3D Cannabis Center at 4305 Brighton Boulevard. All that attention would make anyone nervous, but for Azzariti, who uses cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder after his time in the military, it was much more than a photo opportunity. It was a first step into national acceptance for his medicine of choice.
Tasked with the assignment of reviewing one strain per week, it’s hard to pick just ten favorites from 2018. The ever-expanding web of cannabis genetics provides buds that smell and taste like everything from cornbread to papayas and nearly everything in between. Those variances extend to effects on the mind and body, too, with some strains glueing us to the couch and others making the heart race.
The edibles game can be a screwy one for the legal cannabis industry, with a roulette of changing regulations and constantly evolving market demand. New government rules on dosing and packaging can end a company overnight; if those don’t do it, then ever-changing extraction technology and consumer habits just might, with new forms of consumption popping up more often than expected. That’s not even counting the financing and expansion issues faced by American cannabis brands now that our neighbors to the north have legalized the plant federally.
Dear Stoner: Why don’t more dispensaries carry butter or cooking oil? I’d like the tools to make my own shit.
K Jiggles
The moment the hemp industry has been waiting for finally happened: President Donald Trump just signed the 2018 Farm Bill, legalizing industrial hemp in the United States.
Don’t start talking cereal with a stoner unless you want to go down an annoying rabbit hole as you discuss the differences between Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Golden Grahams. We may seem laid-back, but when it comes to cereal, we have opinions — and nothing tops the Cap’n.
A retired Oregon police officer believes he’s found a way to detect marijuana impairment among drivers, and it starts by looking deep into their eyes.
Dear Stoner: I used to be able to buy Hindu Kush at my favorite dispensary, but they no longer carry it, and the other versions I’ve had around town aren’t the same. It was easily my favorite strain, so how do I find it again?
ISO
Senator Cory Gardner’s shot at protecting states with legal marijuana programs was blocked on December 18, when his states’-rights amendment was sent into the rafters by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley.
Thanks to online retail, you don’t have to get stuck at the mall during holiday shopping season. That doesn’t eliminate the stress of choosing the right gifts, though: After pondering all the possibilities, many of us fall back on buying a bottle of booze, some golf balls or a gift card. But since Colorado has an entirely different spectrum of presents — the pot-related kind — from which to choose, why not take full advantage of those options?
To impress both the stoners and the squares on your list, here are six cannabis gift ideas guaranteed to be a hit during the holidays — and beyond.