August Welcome

If the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that connections are more important than ever — there was a time when face-to-face interaction were the norm, and while handshakes, fist bumps and exchanging business cards, is all well and good,  we can reach out through the virtual landscape of the internet and talk with anyone at any time, and unlike meeting in person or attending an industry event, we don’t even have to be wearing pants while we do it (just make sure your webcam is tilted up rather than down).  

 

Throughout the month of September, HQ would like to invite you to take part in our Digital Demo Days. Surf on over to our Facebook page (@HQMag1998) for live videos with some of the leading brands in the cannabis and smoke shop industries — and some new ones too — all in one place. Think of it as a one-stop-shop to learn about the newest products and put a face to a name with vendors, wholesalers, distributors (and a surprise guest or two in the mix just for fun).  

With the holiday season quickly approaching, HQ’s Digital Demo Days will be the perfect opportunity for smoke shop owners and staff  to get the insights needed to make informed buying decisions. Viewers will be able to tap on the products displayed in the streams to learn more, and if you see something that peaks your interest, you can order directly online from the HQ Market Zone during or after the events have wrapped.

And for ALL of our special buyers out there…we have a surprise for you! One lucky winner will receive an HQ bundle, curtesy of our amazing wholesalers, manufacturers and distributors! Stay tuned for details!

Recent Articles

Dr. Macias first fell in love with science while studying at Howard University, where she completed her undergraduate studies and later earned her PhD in cellular and molecular biology. While at Howard, she became especially interested in cancer research due to personal ties. Growing up in a Creole family and predominantly Black community in Louisiana, Dr. Macias watched many women around her battle breast cancer, so at Howard, she decided to focus her research on the BRCA1 gene.
It’s almost amazing that the same institutions that brought us the 2008 financial crisis have a problem with selling glass pipes. Almost. The truth is that an industry's past sins are only held against it when the money isn’t right. Big banks were willing to risk cratering the U.S. housing market because the profits were too good to ignore. But the cannabis industry rolls a different kind of paper, so instead of a slap on the wrist, it gets a surcharge.
Smokeshop and counterculture enthusiasts enjoy discovery as part of the experience. Customers enjoy browsing. When they walk into a shop, they don't simply grab a product and leave. They look for something new. This is the main reason flyers and posters still work. Smokeshops and dispensaries are highly visual environments. You want to see bold artwork, psychedelic graphics, and street-style posters that naturally capture attention.
The use of cannabis in professional sports has always been a controversial subject. While some are firm believers that all substances should be banned from professional sports altogether, most people aren’t thinking about cannabis when they’re discussing performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). In fact, there have been countless cannabis users in the world of professional sports throughout the years; some of whom are more open about their love for the plant than others.
North Carolina might save us all. A new state bill may be the industry’s best option to save itself from demise when new federal cannabinoid bans take effect in November. And it could use your support.
Hemp is often considered for the things that it is not. It is not intoxicating, it is not illegal, and it is not marijuana. However, now we are seeing a focus back to what it can be. The plant is moving into the level of wine and chocolate and becoming a movement and a culture.
It’s been several months since President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III within the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). On paper, the recent executive order, entitled “Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research,” is a huge step in the right direction for cannabis smokers across the country.
For years, we’ve been told that this industry is the Wild West: a place where the only law amounts to whatever the guy with the gun says. But over the last 12 months, state governments have passed a spate of new regulations that promise to swap the relative lawlessness of poor enforcement of vague rules with real law and order.