Friday ROAD TRIP update!
Greetings from sunny Denver, Colorado!
I came out here to treat myself to a little R&R and tour the legal weed scene...interesting is how I would describe it!
First, this is what I now call a "Denver breakfast"
Of course, that's my breakfast every day but I just named it. Now it's a thing. Tell everyone.
Okay, the weed shops are neat. But a little disappointingly, no surprises. I figured the legal "retail" cannabis scene would play out about the way it has here. They are a lot like head shops as far as atmosphere but they all have counter people, and also roaming sales "assistants" who must be on commission as I found them generally aggressive and determined to help you buy everything you need right now baby! But I also understand the need for that as a lot of folks are probably buying cannabis for the first time and it's intimidating.
I decided I would learn more by acting basically uninformed and true to my suspicious mind, a lot of what these salespeople told me was pure horseshit. Some gave rapturous descriptions of strains I have smoked many times and let's just say there were exaggerations made. But again I get that and no problem. I tried not to laugh a few times but I also ended up buying about $250 dollars' worth of something I already have pounds of so I guess it works!
You have the problem of wanting your customers to get as close to a fresh herbal product as they can...without being able to touch it. So, some have little sample jars in glass counter cases, and they will bring them up individually and let you smell them. Others had clever solutions like these sample stations:
You could slide that little rubber dealie aside and smell it, plus the magnifying top is cool.
Colorado laws are somewhat stricter than Michigan for example. In the Michigan shops I have visited typically you looked at gallon-size jars of buds, they let you hold and smell them and then a guy with forceps plucked out buds by hand. In Colorado all the herb is pre-packaged in 1-gram sealed packages. So, it all hangs on the wall behind a counter like a pharmacy. If you buy ten grams you get ten packages. All sealed for safety. In a bag with another safety closure so complex I almost couldn't figure it out. I guess the retail market is really here.
I saw stuff that is really amazing, cannabis essence now comes in so many forms it's frankly almost TOO much!
Here's some cannabis SODA:
I didn't spend much time researching the potency of these elixers, the simple fact they make them was enough to impress me. All I can say is at seven bucks a soda it better get you completely and totally wasted.
They have product after innovative product, all presented with the maximum variety of clever names, pitches, and images. So much amazing marketing I was lost in a canna wonderworld...it was so Willy Wonka after a half-dozen shops, I felt like the kid in that movie, dancing along with Gene Wilder in his purple top hat, both of us smoking and laughing.... Finally the last counter girl came off like Veruca Salt and I snapped back into reality.
It's a business. And they have this business down. Madison Avenue was ready for legal pot.
This one caught my eye...hot chocolate that also gets you high. Is nothing sacred?
Sorry, I don't see the point of a lot of it...if I wanted to drink hot chocolate and get high, I would drink a cup and smoke a joint. Since I really enjoy both, why would I want to lose half the pleasure? Just my take.
So my conclusion is a lot of it is aimed at non-users. Which is fine, except my ancillary minor concern for the black eye it gives all cannabis users when a little kid get a hold of something and has to be rushed to the hospital. It's not too much risk that my six-year-old will smoke my herb accidentally. This stuff, especially candy, gummies, etc., bring that issue into play. But safeguarding your stash is still each person's responsibility and that hasn't changed. Not preaching you know that, just an obvious potential issue. But the whole scene is pretty cool.
Okay, my buds want to go and I'm stoned and blogging. See ya!
Peace, Hyena
