February 2022 Welcome

By
HeadQuest

Welcome February

The biggest shopping day of the year is just around the corner! Bigger than Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Diwali rolled into one, 4/20 is the annual date when cannabis lovers get up off the couch and rush to their favorite smoke shops to grab deals on smoking accessories and counterculture goods.

Throughout February and March, leading up to the big day, Headquest would like to invite you to take part in our own 420 Giveaway. For vendors, it’s their chance to put their newest products directly in hands of buyers. For retailers, it’s an incredible opportunity to meet the people who set the trends and supply the products that will drive sales and boost that all important competitive edge.

We’ll be ramping up social media coverage of the giveaway with special announcements and livestream events where viewers can comment and ask questions to which presenters respond to in real time. Don’t pass up your chance to pick the brains of our industry’s top names and share your thoughts and ideas as well.

If you see a product you’d like to have on your shelf, you’ll be able to tap a secure link and order directly from the HQ Marketplace.

Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram feeds in the coming days for a link to register, and we’ll keep you posted on what, where and when. Sign up early and tune in for your snag free products and swag from our featured brands. One lucky winner will be celebrating with a grand prize package and will also have the opportunity for the store to be featured as Shop of the Month in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

Consider the HQ 420 Giveaway our special gift to you in the hopes that you’ll be celebrating not only on April 20, but all year long!

Recent Stories

Recent Articles

2026-06-01_20-59-01
By
Emily Long
Women in Cannabis – Dr. Chanda Macias
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.
2026-06-01_20-45-52
By
Matt Weeks
Cards Denied: Smoke Shops, Dispensaries, and the Paradox of Modern Banking
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.
2026-06-01_20-34-44
By
Karen Maina
Print Lives! Why Flyers and Posters Still Work
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.
2026-06-01_9-58-51
By
Joe Reefer
Cannabis in Sports: Exploring Famous Athletes’ Cannabis Usage
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.
NC Ban
By
Matt Weeks
Save Hemp, Save the World
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.
Tourism banner
By
Karen Maina
The Quiet Rise of Hemp Agritourism
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.
Schedule 3 1
By
Joe Reefer
What Does Schedule III Mean for the Industry?
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.
Sate of 3
By
Matt Weeks
The State of the States
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.