Welcome – May 2020

Pssst. Hey there. It’s us, your pals at HQ. Is it safe to come out yet? It’s a weird question for us to be asking, we know, but keep in mind this is print media. It’s still late March where we are, but you’re reading this in May. That’s five weeks in the future for us and we have no idea what that looks like. Where we are, the world as we’ve known it seems to be hanging in the balance. Half the population is basically on house arrest while the global economy is on the verge of taking a siesta. 

We are hoping against hope that by the time this issue hits your mailbox, the world will be returning to some semblance of normal, that maybe we’ll all be wondering if we didn’t overreact just a little. We can hope. But whatever the scenario is in May of 2020, take heart. Remember that as Americans, we come from a long line of generations before us who stared into the abyss and laughed in the face of oblivion. It’s just what we do. 

So, chin up. Stay stocked and stay vigilant. You can weather this. You’re in the business of pleasure, of healing, and of aiding and abetting the pilgrims on their sacred journey. The world needs you now more than ever. 

  • CannaAid and Peak: Something new for everyone.

Recent Articles

ile Mike Wittenberg sat in a Dominican Republic prison, a thought occurred to him. “I could appreciate flushing the toilet,” he said. “When you’re in a third-world jail without running water 23.5 hours a day, you learn to appreciate the little things.”
When it comes to marketing, cannabis is different from every other consumer good available today. If sales start to dip in traditional retail, you can simply increase ad spending. However, with companies like Google, Meta, and even traditional broadcasters placing strict bans or severe limitations on cannabis advertising, the standard “pay-to-play” system just doesn’t work.
It feels impossible sometimes to escape the more ridiculousness aspects of pop culture—like pickleball, whatever a Labubu is, and the inevitable media frenzy surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's upcoming wedding. Thankfully, there’s at least one trend that’s still on the rise that I can get behind, which is kratom.
When Adelia Carrillo (Fakhri) and Parisa Rad first sat down for brunch in Phoenix, AZ, with a few other women in the cannabis industry, they had no idea how that moment would change the trajectory of their lives. “The energy in that room was transformative,” Adelia says.
On its face, it makes sense: an anti-establishment asset in a counterculture shop. But the ethical ramifications of cryptocurrency ATMs have divided smoke shop owners, who are increasingly asked to host them.
Cannabis and comedy go hand-in-hand. After all, who hasn’t smoked a joint and immediately caught a case of the giggles? Who hasn’t taken a huge bong rip, only to have your best smoking buddy crack a joke as soon as you inhale?
How Aaron Pavloff made Field Tryp an exclusive luxury event for big-time buyers and vendors.
For Asia Cannario, the War on Drugs is especially personal. Like many people, she started using cannabis as a teenager and got into selling cannabis in her 20s in Baltimore, Maryland, long before any legalization efforts grew teeth.