By Katie Shapiro, The Cannabist Staff
Winding down a year that many would news as soul-sucking, a ongoing swell of pot legalization and bursting expansion of a cannabis attention are dual of a few things gripping us carefully carefree as we conduct into 2017. It’s already been called a year of Greenery, after all, so we’re off to a earnest start. But let’s take a impulse to symbol a staggering strides for pot in a past twelve months. Here, we benefaction a 16 biggest cannabis lifestyle trends that tangible 2016:
1. Celebrity strains
With Marley Natural, Willie’s Reserve and Leafs by Snoop portion as pioneers early in legalization, star-backed cannabis brands blossomed this year. Several Colorado cannabis businesses have staked out partnerships with entertainers of all stripes. Among a new products in ratified states: Wiz Khalifa and Sublime with Rome rolled out pot products; Tommy Chong debuted his “high category medical” collection; Willie Nelson’s code dropped in Washington and Colorado shops; and usually this month, Hunter S. Thompson’s widow announced plans for a Gonzo code of cannabis from 6 strains a author indeed smoked. And not that we’re anticipating it’s indeed in a works, though whatever happened to Bethenny Frankel’s devise for a Skinny Girl strain?
2. Marijuana hits mainstream TV
Bill Maher started 2016 off proper, lighting up on “Real Time” for a initial time. Since then, MTV’s “Mary + Jane” non-stop a rush of crappy weed sitcoms with Adam Scott’s “Buds” still on reason during NBC and Margaret Cho’s “Highland” still in growth during Amazon. The much-buzzed about “Martha Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party” on VH1 lacks a categorical partial of chemistry — removing high together — origination it a skip. But
the pierce from Vimeo to HBO for “High Maintenance” creates adult for all of a misses (we wish WhoHaha’s “Cannabis Moms Club” follows a same trajectory). Viceland continues to rise some of a best cannabis calm around with “Bong Appétit” — it’s been called “the usually existence uncover about weed we need to see” — featuring The Cannabist’s possess Ry Prichard.
3. A corporate exodus for cannabis
You’ve seen a headlines. You’ve seen a numbers. Just 3 years into authorised pot sales in America, it is a billion-dollar attention in Colorado alone with projections progressing this year estimating a inhabitant marketplace during $7.1 billion in 2016. Marijuana is now so confirmed in American commerce that a still-new attention is luring several energy players divided from corporate life, such as: Tokyo Smoke’s Alan Gertner (Apple), Apothecanna’s James Kennedy (Aveda) and Pax’s Peter Bain (GoPro).
4. Reefer and sacrament
This spring, many in Oregon’s Jewish village distinguished a first-ever official cannabis seder in Portland while “Pot Shabbats” started popping adult in Los Angeles and San Francisco (disclosure: a family of this article’s author entirely embraced these traditions too). The Orthodox Union even awarded kosher certification for medical pot in New York. The Oklevueha (AH’-kluh-vuh) Native American Church of Hawaii also believes in rite use of cannabis, though unfortunately lost an appeal to a U.S. Supreme Court to be free from sovereign pot laws. Twin brothers and righteous Mormons Aaron and Nathan Frodsham are pulling for medical pot in Utah as a means of treating health conditions, opposite a anti-marijuana position of their church. This year, we also saw a origination of a First Cannabis Church of Logic and Reason in Lansing, Mich., that hopes to mislay tarnish from pot use. Oh, and did we hear about a rabbi and priest who wish to grow weed in Maryland? #BLESSED
5. Cannabis broadcasting catches fire
Ricardo Baca became a world’s initial pot editor for a vital media opening in 2014 with a launch of this really site, earning him a well-deserved mark on Fortune’s “7 Most Powerful People in America’s Marijuana Industry” this past April. Now a San Francisco Chronicle has followed suit, fixing David Downs as a cannabis editor in October. Leafly and High Times also finished high-profile hires, adding Bruce Barcott as emissary editor and David Bienenstock as conduct of content, respectively. From a launch of Merry Jane, Sensi Magazine, Mary Magazine and some-more … it’s a high time for cannabis journalism.
6. Artisan edibles
The Maureen Dowd mania of 2014 has taken utterly a spin with substantially a prettiest edibles we’ve ever seen attack a marketplace this year. Coda Signature’s truffles are handmade by chocolatier Lauren Gockley, who formerly hold justice in a kitchen as a fritter cook during Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York. Oakland-based Défoncé Chocolatier is one of a initial companies to residence dosing in every aspect of product design and owner Eric Eslao embraces a coffee judgment of single-origin in his ethically and tolerable sourced oppulance chocolate. Peter Barsom’s startup, 1906, brings together scientists, chocolatiers and cannabis experts to emanate a reward line of low-dose chocolate edibles. Lord Jones, founded by Robert Rosenheck, has emerged as a cult luminary favorite in California (also with an extraordinary line of topicals formulated by a group of chemists and beauty attention vets in a line). We could keep going, though let’s stop here and wish a new pesky-but-necessary universal THC symbol labeling requirement doesn’t disaster with a cultured of any of a aforementioned companies too much.
7. Ticketed, pop-up dining experiences
At a start of a year, Baca reported on a cornucopia of 420-friendly events in Colorado’s authorised epoch — catchy dinners, joint- and sushi-rolling classes, speed-dating happy hours and even train tours of residential Christmas light displays. But no businessman had figured out a wily space of cannabis-friendly events until Kendal Norris emerged in a Boulder scene, and given has solidified herself as a front-runner for formulating a many superb of excellent dining use with her Mason Jar Events company. For California foodies, chefs Chris Sayegh and Chris Yang are heading a Los Angeles scene, and chef Miguel Trinidad is hosting super-secret happenings in New York City. Until we have amicable use laws opposite recreationally authorised states, pop-ups are a best gamble over going bar-hopping any day.
8. High conform gets higher
Followers of high conform competence remember saying copiousness of pot leaves on a runway as partial of Alexander Wang’s Fall 2016 ready-to-wear collection during New York Fashion Week and on Margot Robbie during her “Saturday Night Live” digression in a show’s deteriorate premiere. We saw Jenny Lewis take a SXSW theatre in a many extraordinary technicolor weed suit ever. Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner helped valuables engineer Jacquie Aiche hurl out a new pot-themed collection in Beverly Hills. We talked to Complex and Fashion magazine about how weed became one of a biggest trends of a year, nonetheless we’ve famous it all along: Cannabis can be stylish when finished right.
9. A hip conduct emporium revolution
One of a best things legalization has brought us is an blast of boutique cannabusinesses that are conceptualizing smoking accouterments that indeed fit into a lives — not tucked divided in a shoebox. The outcome is a conduct emporium revolution, that is relocating from brick-and-mortar to a web, with many entrepreneurs origination names for themselves on Instagram. Who to follow? @shopmistergreen, @greyhorsebk, @catchtilly, @tetra_shop, @sweetflag_shop and @vanderpop. And we mean, have we seen a third-annual Cannabist Gift Guide? Keep it in mind for dropping hints anytime.
10. Working out while high
We adore to do a lot of things high, though there’s something quite enchanting about doing yoga in an altered state of mind. Mason Jar Events (see No. 7) threw a ultimate weekend bash, bringing together weed, yoga, friends and a champagne brunch. Our Texas match Neal Pollack took his initial ganja yoga class in Austin from Kusha owner Harleigh Reynolds (Denver, we can try it for yourself Dec. 30-Jan. 2). Off a mat, cannabis is anticipating a approach into copiousness of other workouts and into a gym during Power Plant Fitness — a devise in a works from former NFL regulating behind Ricky Williams and snowboard association executive Jim McAlpine in San Francisco. The twin is also behind a 420 Games — an athletic-focused 4.20-mile race, that will grow from 6 to 10 cities in 2017.
11. Finally, a concentration on UX
Despite a swell opposite a nation for medical and recreational legalization over a past dual decades, a attention has somewhat lagged behind when it comes to user experience. But 2016 was the year for aloft design, and as Fast Company notes in their news patrician “UX is changing how we get high,” “A handful of pot entrepreneurs have already gotten correct to a significance of user-centered design, formulating handsome dispensaries, enlisting big-name striking designers to harmonise superb packaging, and building brands that sell use contra products.” Pax and Native Roots are heading a assign on this front with a uninformed concentration toward investigate and users for a year ahead.
12. Professional athletes and coaches as advocates
Pro athletes who have gifted and witnessed a health advantages of cannabis are prepared to rumble, and we’re carefree a leagues are listening. Looking during a NBA, Chauncey Billups and Steve Kerr recently spoke out about cannabis benefits, and in a NFL, former Baltimore Ravens descent tackle Eugene Monroe has created for The Cannabist about his goal to “get a NFL to accept cannabinoids as a viable choice for pain management.” In a consult of 226 of a NFL’s scarcely 3,000 players on active rosters or use squads, ESPN The Magazine found that 61 percent believed that players would take fewer injections of crafty anti-inflammatory drugs such as Toradol if they could yield pain legally with marijuana. Former NFL far-reaching receiver Randy Moss says medical marijuana “definitely should be in a game” and a NFL players kinship is in a beginning stages of building a pain government committee. Meanwhile, former players actively campaigned to lift income and recognition for cannabidiol research.
13. Cannabis growers get pesticide-free certification
Pesticides sojourn a prohibited subject — from decimating wildlife to Scotts Miracle-Gro pumping $500 million into a attention to corner a market. Enter Colorado’s Organic Cannabis Association, that grown a pesticide-free acceptance module this year. “We are good past time to move simple clarity and reserve like we have in food into cannabis, and we intend to do that both with a pesticide-free acceptance and an organic standard,” says OCA owner and house chair John-Paul Maxfield. “We will be regulating a check subsequent year that will concede central organic acceptance subsequent summer.” Amy Andrle of L’Eagle, a Denver tradesman and grower, also serves on a association’s house and tells The New York Times, “As pot consumers are apropos some-more sophisticated, there’s zero like a value of a third-party certifier to give growers a selling edge.” Sounds like 2017 competence usually be a year we see a Whole Foods for weed.
14. Weed weddings wanted
Recreational legalization brought a first call of 420-friendly weddings, though a world’s initial cannabis-centered marriage expo in Jan finished it central — and a lot easier to devise a modern-day themed event featuring cannabis. As we start to see an boost in amicable acceptance, weed weddings in Colorado are certain to continue to rise. Now, a “Airbnb for pot smokers” has teamed adult with Denver’s Love and Marij, anticipating to dilemma a rising marketplace for bud-loving brides and grooms. Maybe Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde will tie a knot earlier than they say?
15. More and some-more lotions, potions, topicals, skincare
The recovering advantages of cannabis and hemp when used in beauty products are no secret, with big-name brands like The Body Shop and Dr. Bronner’s regulating it as an partial prolonged before legalization. And while it seems like “cannabis beauty” was unexpected everywhere in 2016 (Milk Makeup’s Roll + Blot papers are a crafty addition), it’s zero new, with Eastern cultures regulating a effective mixture for hundreds of years. In a Mar news from Eviana Hartman for Vogue, she talks with Ah Warner, a romantic owner of Washington-based bodycare line Cannabis Basics who is assured a plant compounds cover all from “anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, analgesic, cell-regenerative, and anti-cell proliferative for bad cells.” Now we usually need complicated investigate to locate adult with a prolonged story of healing cannabis use. We attempted large products over a past twelve months and dull adult a favorites for a bathroom, along with some that might warn you.
16. Concentrates, polished
The Eureka Times-Standard’s Will Houston wrote in October: “When meditative of pot concentrates like crush and dabs, visions of bursting temporary labs, piles of charred butane cannisters and bake wounds might come to mind for some. For others, cannabis concentrates paint a different subculture within a pot village that can yield medical advantages to patients that can’t be performed by smoking flowers or eating certain edibles.” With a transformation good underway in Colorado, this shred of a attention is one of a fastest-growing markets as some-more and some-more users learn about concentrates and some-more and some-more companies deliver vaporizers — both high-tech and basic — to accommodate a demand. Traditional dab rigs aside, a proprietor vape critics Ben Livingston and Chris Thomas are entirely examining new vapes of all sizes and shapes to keep we in-the-know.
Katie is a freelance cannabis, transport and character author and digital editor @AspenSojourner. Her company, Katie Shapiro Media, specializes in broadside for Colorado-produced films and film…