Hey folks! Now that we’ve crossed the threshold from 2023 to 2024 I thought it would be a great opportunity to look at the changes, both big and small, that went down in the world of cannabis. There have been some pretty significant new product drops, some industry growing pains and big milestones for our happy little store. So, without further ado, onto the year in review!
New Drops
There have been so many new product drops in the last year that I’m not going to list them. Mostly because if I tried to this blog would become bible sized. That being said, I’m going to list some of the ones that set new trends and standards for quality and innovation.
First up, Nugz Grind. There are a few brands in the cannabis market that have pre milled flower, but none of them hit the quality level brought by the Nugz offerings. Featuring three separate blends of some of the best strains from Nugz and Tribal, the flower if fluffy and fresh looking (unlike some of the other pre milled options which are….well, dusty). In addition to that, they included a little scoop inside the packaging so that you don’t waste any of the good stuff trying to use your fingers. Fun fact: Apparently it took a year and a half for Health Canada to allow a scoop to be included in the package. The gears of government, they turn so slowly.
Next, rotating strains. There were a few brands that featured rotating strains as a means of offering a level of variety to customers without having to go through the rigorous process and high cost of adding another entire product to the OCS. This year, we’ve seen the number of these types of products increase exponentially. For example, the Rotating Strain from Frost Cannabis is *chef kiss* amazing. Additionally, we’ve seen a few brands start to push out variety pack ounces, which are a fantastic (and wallet friendly) way of trying out a few different strains in one simple purchase.
The Great Edible Debate
This year was also a bit dramatic, as several brands have opted to go toe to toe with Health Canada and the OCS in regard to a subcategory of edibles: Edible Extracts. You may remember for example the Aurora Drifts, these happy little gummies that featured 10mg of THC per gummy for a total of 100mg of THC for the package, which is roughly ten times over the limit for edibles that was put into place. Well, the government gave those products the old heave ho and told companies producing edible extracts to stop production. In response, a couple of brands brought their case to the highest court in the land, pointing out the flaws and fallacies in the legal wording and processes that Health Canada used in making their decision to pull those products. The courts agreed and shot the decision back to Health Canada to review, leaving the whole issue in a sort of liminal state for the time being. That being said, look carefully at our edible selection and you’ll find there are a few options for edible extracts that are starting to slip back in. Like for example, the Hash Rosin Drops by Rosin Head. This is a 50 pack of tiny little chocolate chip looking edibles that each pack 5mg of THC, meaning this edible is sporting an eye watering 250mg of THC per pack as opposed to the 10mg that we see in most edibles. That’s a *checks notes* significant difference.
Circa updates
As for us, our happy little slice of Cobourg has been doing wonderfully! Thanks to all of the support from members of the community and visitors alike who want to support local retailers we’ve quickly become one of the go to places for cannabis in Northumberland, and we couldn’t be more grateful. It’s been amazing to see so many new faces this year and getting to know our customers better. Thanks to your support we’ve been able to expand our inventory (including our now massive beverage fridge) and present what we feel is the best selection of cannabis you’ll find anywhere and it’s all thanks to you!
And that’s a (very basic) roundup of a few of the changes 2023 has wrought on the cannabis industry. We can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for us and cannabis in Canada. We can’t wait!
Want to check out some of the new products I just gushed about? Check out our menu here!
