As a relatively new industry, cannabis is growing in leaps and bounds. Thanks to the normalization and legalization of our favourite plant, retailers and producers are developing better technologies for crafting and improving cannabis products and user experiences. Cannabis is at the forefront of a host of new technologies set to improve breeders rights, processing and extraction, and overall, the customers experience from seed to sale.
Read on to discover some of the new kinds of tech being incorporated behind-the-scenes to advance the cannabis industry.
Robert Carroll
From candies to high-tech vape products, legal dispensaries today offer hundreds if not thousands of products to choose from. Some options are non-psychoactive where others are discreet, potent or flavourful. With so many new cannabis products regularly entering the market the dispensary experience can be overwhelming for a first-time consumer looking to find the right product for their needs.
With competition mounting and over-regulation making it difficult for small independents to operate on a level playing field with larger companies having greater financial resources, many dispensary operators are either selling their businesses or closing up shop. That fact begs the question: has the dream of a profitable legal cannabis industry in Canada gone up in smoke?
“There are many different ways to consume cannabis and dozens of options within each consumption category,” said Robert Carroll, part of the local father/son duo who own the Due North Cannabis Company in Sault Ste. Marie.
“It’s summer, so there may be times you want something refreshing or perhaps something more discreet rather than a product you smoke. That could mean edibles, oils, capsules, or a variety of cannabis beverages.”
Carroll says some of his creative customers have suggested that turning cannabis-infused beverages into popsicles is a fun and tasty way to enjoy them. Many cannabis consumers also enjoy edibles like soft chews, hard candies and baked goods which are easily transported as part of a summer picnic or patio snack tray.
Due North Cannabis Co. has become one of the fastest-growing local businesses in Sault Ste. Marie with two locations currently operating in Churchill Plaza and Pine Plaza. Founded by a local father and son duo, Due North prioritizes and promotes local wherever possible.
Three years ago, Robert and John Carroll developed a retail concept focused on serving residents of legal age in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.
“We really wanted to develop a concept that was warm and welcoming. A business the Soo could be proud of. We prioritize local talent and materials wherever possible and actively support other local businesses through our Support Local Program.”
Take Robert Carroll, for example, who is part of a father/son team that recently opened the first Due North Cannabis Co. location in Sault Ste Marie. The Churchill Plaza cannabis shop features a spacious cottage-style interior décor complete with tongue-and-groove wood panelling, eight-inch timber beams and a 42-inch gas fireplace. It’s part of a conscious effort by the owners to create an inviting and relaxing atmosphere for cannabis shoppers.
Carroll said that creating a unique and inviting retail space was critical to their business plan given the stigmas and misinformation that still surround legalized cannabis sales in Canada.
Retail cannabis employees come from assorted backgrounds; some have roots deep in the legacy markets and have been around since before legalisation. Others come from a customer-service or management background and have worked their way up, adding their version of magic and ancillary know-how to the sale of marijuana. Some of them fell into it by chance and have discovered a new passion within a fun and continuously evolving industry. Yesterday’s bartender, retail manager or cannabis consuming soccer mom is today’s Cannista, Budtender, Bud Guide, or Chronniseur.
Canadians can enjoy safe cannabis, marketed and sold responsibly, with recent studies showing numerous ways that legalization benefits us all.
Three years have passed since legalizing cannabis in Canada. From boosting the economy to improved product and purchasing safety, the benefits of its decriminalization are clear.
It’s 2022 in Canada, and the cannabis market is booming.
From the big cities to the farm towns, cannabis shops are popping up everywhere.
Back in the day, to get some good grass, you had to know a guy or possibly wander around downtown and scope out a fellow stoner while trying not to look too suspicious.
Nowadays, it’s as easy as checking Leafly in your neighbourhood or calling up your local pot shop for delivery.
You can have an ounce of that sticky-icky on demand, as long as it’s during regular retail hours, and of course – you must be of legal age.
From a Bud Guides perspective, it’s been a wild ride, and we’re not anywhere close to the finish line yet.
Cannabis products can be uplifting, and for many, tends to elevate the experiences of the holiday Christmas party or family dinner. Now with many cannabis retail stores readily accessible to consenting adults and hundreds of products available to explore, cannabis is becoming mainstream this holiday season. In fact, last year 32% of adults were considering giving the gift of green. So if you’re looking to grab some old school hash for your uncle Larry or get your grandparents to open up to the idea of topical applications, here is Due North Cannabis’ gift buyers guide for the canna-curious this holiday season.
In the first year, legal retailers were permitted to sell dried flower, as well as CBD oils and sprays. One year later, Canada amended its cannabis regulations, allowing for the legal sale of edibles, extracts, topicals, and vapes. Since then, the legal market has flourished, allowing for better safety and regulation when it comes to different types of cannabis products.
The path to legalization has taken decades of work from celebrity activists to legal advocates and is part of a broader societal change that has seen Canadians from all walks of life become cannabis explorers.
Cannabis has been legal in Canada for just over two years now. For the first time in our country’s history it is available for public consumption, taxed, and regulated by the government. In a previous post, we talked about the long road to legalization, and here we’ll talk about the retail boom that followed.
