There are plenty of gift ideas for the cannabis aficionados on your holiday list.
Due to the impending start of adult recreational marijuana sales in California, 2017 is the last year people will need a medical card to buy cannabis or other items infused with the herb. But right now, there are also dozens of accessories one can buy without a card.
January 1 marks the start of legal marijuana sales in most parts of the state under voter-approved Proposition 64. (In San Francisco, sales are expected to begin January 5.)
This year, as the legalization of recreational cannabis nears, companies have flooded the market with new gift products, said Marcella Sanchez, the boutique curator at the popular Castro dispensary, the Apothecarium (https://apothecarium.com/).
Sanchez, a 37-year-old lesbian who's been in the job for over 18 months, has a few suggestions.
"These just came in," she said excitedly, hugging the floor model of the $215 Levo oil infuser, which looks like a high tech espresso machine but functions like a crock pot. It enables users to make their own cannabis-infused butter or oil for edibles or body treatments, she said.
"These will sell well," she predicted.
Sanchez, who was a body products buyer for Whole Foods before she got into the cannabis industry, showed off a handful of items that are small enough to fit into a Christmas stocking.
The $50 carved crystal pipes, each one a unique design, are "really, really popular," she said. For $80, Sanchez recommends a Linx dab pen vaporizer. "It's a great way to put the blow torch down and experience wax," Sanchez said. "I absolutely love these."
But the "very best value," she suggested, are the Apothecarium gift boxes, which range in price from $25 to $100 and will include free samples as a bonus.
"The gift boxes will be limited to the stock on hand and are expected to sell out early," she said.
The least expensive box includes a California cannabis ceramic coffee mug; Whoopi & Maya raw cacao, which can be eaten by the spoonful or used to make hot chocolate; and cannabis-infused marshmallow candy. The $45 box has a Japanese Queue refillable stick lighter and a five-pack of joints, Sanchez said.
The $80 box includes a mini glass pipe, lighter, grinder, and a gram of your choice of strains of State Flower cannabis. The largest box will have 3.5 grams of cannabis, a stash jar, spoon pipe, lighter, and black and gold Huf socks, made by a local skateboarding company.
Lastly, Sanchez suggests a brand new product, a $25 T-shirt made by Conspicuous Strain Discreet Cannabis Wear. "I know we're the only people in the city selling these," she said.
All items can be purchased at the dispensary or delivered to home or office. The boxes will be tied with cannabis ribbon and put into a black shopping bag, she said.
You won't be able to see or sniff any of the products sold by Sava, a delivery-only cannabis company owned by Andrea Brooks, a 41-year-old Castro resident who founded the company in 2015 (www.getsava.com).
"We specialize in selling high quality medicine made by small companies," she said. "We are also an educational platform because we strongly believe in the importance of informing our patients about the products and the people who make them."
At $40, the Quim Rock intimate oil is "designed to intensify climax, enhance sensation, and increase libido," according to the package insert. Each 2 oz. bottle contains 400 mg of THC, the psychoactive compound in pot.
Brooks, a lesbian who was a nonprofit consultant before getting into the cannabis industry, carries a line of products from the Farmaceuticals Company, a woman-owned and -operated company that produces tinctures, topical products and edibles, sourcing the ingredients from local women-owned farms. Products include a $40 CBD therapy balm, a $50 THC therapy bliss oil, and $40 therapy drops for your pet.
Brooks also suggested Kikoko cannabis-infused teas, ranging in price from $5 for a single bag to $56 for a 10 pack in a decorative tin. The teas are "organic, low dose, cannabis-infused herbal teas for mood, libido, sleep, or pain and calm," according to the label.
Lastly, Sava is selling a $165 holiday party kit, which includes single origin vape pens, ice water hash pre-rolls, delectable edibles in a variety of doses, and ingredients for cannabis cocktails.
Emerald Cup event
If you're willing to drive an hour or so to Santa Rosa, the shopping possibilities at this weekend's Emerald Cup will be awesome.
The Emerald Cup, held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, December 9-10, will feature hundreds of cannabis-related vendors, as well as contests, music, samples, and educational programs.
The event is northern California's "premier destination for medicinal marijuana, while advancing the concept of sustainable, outdoor farming," according to the website. Last year, more than 25,000 people attended.
For more information about the event and ticket prices, visit http://www.theemeraldcup.com.
Bay Area Cannasseur runs the first Thursday of the month. To send column ideas or tips, email Sari Staver at [email protected].