The growth of the marijuana industry in the U.S. is unprecedented. Fueled by curiosity, Google trends shows that more and more Americans are searching for weed. As reported by Business Insider, rising weed searches in the past five years include “dry herb vaporizer,” “dabs weed,” and “vape pen.” The first refers to an emerging product category. The second refers to an increasingly popular concentrated cannabis extract. The third is another emerging product category.
With the boom comes innovation and new market opportunities for cannabis-related and cannabis-infused products. With the push for a federal law to end prohibition throughout the land, consumers and industry players are looking for more ways to maximize the potential of the industry. Retail brands are coming up with innovations and new products that highlights cannabis’ health benefits and improve customer experience. Here are the top three trends to watch out for.
Artisanal Cannabis
Just like the rise of boutique, specialty restaurants and micro-breweries, small cannabis growers are evolving to artisanal producers, creating one-of-a-kind cannabis strain sought out by discerning pot users who knows how to indulge their marijuana with much sophistication. Artisanal producers are gaining popularity, specially in California—one of marijuana’s biggest market. Growers have found a niche market, embracing farm-to-table approach to curating unique and specialized marijuana products. For these industry players, it is not just about the buds, but the overall experience.
Growers like Flow Kana, for instance, prides itself for being the first sustainable, pesticide-free, sun-grown, cannabis brand with focus on small batch, boutique strains. The company partners with small-scale farmers who are ‘master cultivators’ to produce exquisite products. Flow Kana fits a niche in the cannabis industry, providing specialized strains to dispensaries throughout the Golden State.
Another artisanal cannabis producer is Yerba Buena. Known for their specially curated tinctures and products, the company differentiates itself for crafting “connoisseur” cannabis products. Its winery-like approach allows visitors to embrace wine-like tastings. With the help of “sensameliers,” customers get to experience the wonders of different cannabis products and strains.
Cannabis Accessories
If you are indulging yourself with artisanal cannabis strain, you might as well buy the right accessories to use it with. One key element of cannabis accessories is portability. Portable vaporizer, vape pens, and grinders are essential must haves. Portable vaporizers comes in different shapes. Firefly 2 boast of a sleek rectangular design while Magic Flight Launch Box has a wider dimension because of its wooden box design. Though portable vaporizers are bulkier than vape pens, they tend to have more technology that afford them more capabilities than most vape pens. Firefly 2 for instance has touch sensor activation, temperature control settings, and can be controlled via mobile app, something you won’t find in a vape pen.
Vape pens on the other hand is pen-shaped (duh!) and can be easily concealed. It’s mostly used for vaping oil and wax concentrates on-the-fly in a very discreet way. Aurora Vaporizer Pen and G Pen Vaporizer boasts of sleek design that are inconspicuous. The downside with vape pens is their atomizer—the heating chamber, that tend to get spent a lot faster than the heating chambers of portable vaporizers that handle dry herb.
Grinders are also a must have if you want to get more out of your buds. Not only will it allow you to extend the shelf life of your cannabis, but also preserves the trichomes covering it. While many cannabis consumers prefer to break up their bud with their hands, doing it in a grinder allows for better airflow while at the same time, saving broken trichomes for later use. SLX 2.0 grinder for instance is a must-try. Not only is it portable, but its proprietary nano-ceramic coating reduces friction and resin build up, delivering an effortless grind every time.
Cannabis Wellness Products
Lastly, are cannabis wellness products. No, these products won’t make you high because mostly it has psychoactive extracts from the plant—most notably, cannabidiol or CBD. CBD is a key ingredients to some wellness products that have the ability to relieve stress and anxiety, relax the body, improve mood, and lower inflammation.
Edible food products are slowly getting more diverse. Aceso uses cannabinoid for its drink powders and sprays that boosts the immune system, relieve stress, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Sakara Life, a meal program provider added hemp chocolate to its product line that help with anxiety, insomnia, inflammation, and PMS. Kiva Confections diversified its cannabis-infused chocolate confections to extend to candies with its Petra mints.
If you still can’t get enough of cannabis, wellness products like Foria created suppositories to relieve menstrual cramps and pleasure oil that heightens arousal. You could also slather it all over your body with Budsuds soaps. Budsuds pride itself for using both hemp oil and real plant parts in its soap to moisturize skin.
With the growing interest and federal government intervening on marijuana legalization, the industry will have nowhere to go but up. Industry players are only limited by their imagination. If the prohibition gets lifted, expect more cannabis-inspired products to flood the market. Do you have an idea for a product that needs a cannabis upgrade? Tell us in the comment section below.