Legal Pot in Seattle - (Almost) 5 Years of Recreational Weed Stores

Legal marijuana stores opened their doors in Seattle in the summer of 2014. Emerald city stoners are now spoiled with a bumper supply of top-quality flower, extracts and edibles. It takes a cross country voyage to remember the dark days of prohibition which still reign across the American South and Midwest, where grams of schwag still cost $20, if you are lucky enough to know where to find it.

Greenline- 3.5g Dragons Breath ($20, w/tax, Dec. 2018)

Nearing five years of legalization, prices, product availability and product diversity are at an all time high (pun intended). Market shelf space dedicated to concentrates and cartridges has increased, 'pre-rolled' as a category has increased, with an exciting diversity of enhanced joints featuring hash oil dips, rolls in kief and other combinations thereof.

Overall, prices are significantly lower and quality higher than at any time since the early 1990s. When Nirvana dominated the airwaves, black market top-shelf weed sold for 30-40$ per 'eighth' of an ounce or 3.5 grams. By the mid 1990s, lax Canadian drug laws led to a surplus of relatively good quality 'BC Bud' in the Seattle market. Medical collective gardens were legalized in Seattle in 1998. By the late 90s, this seedless product came on the scene and ultimately made low-grade, seeded 'mexi' weed un-saleable in the Seattle market by the turn of the millennium.

Hi Guys - 14g Pre-rolled joints ($20, Dec. 2018) Seattle Tonics

Prior to legalization, the US marijuana market was dominated by dried flower, which was smoked rolled up in paper or in a pipe. Marijuana smokers don't smoke pot leaves - the unfertilized flower of the female plant is where the active ingredient is concentrated. This point bears repeating because it takes the uninitiated a while to understand that whippersnappers aren't rolling up leaves to smoke their reefers.

The advent of medical marijuana in the 1990s and the rise of collective gardens saw the introduction of extracts like water process or screen processed hash products - bubble hash. Butane hash oil began the modern era of hash oil extractions, which continues to blossom today with an array of extracted products sold in cartridges and used in systems virtually indistinguishable from electronic cigarette systems. A whole universe of cannabis users who prefer dabs, concentrated extracts used with specialized equipment.

Phat Panda's Panda Pen - $15 rechargeable pen vape w/usb charger.

Vape pen cartridges with cannabinoid concentrations (the active ingredients) in the 70-90+ percent ranges are available for as little as $25 for a 1 gram cartridge. (re-chargeable vaporizer pens with three heat settings are widely available for $15). Indeed, many cartridges are more expensive, with 500mg (1/2 gram) cartridges selling for $36.

Packaging for legal marijuana products have diversified in terms of materials and design while working within legal parameters in terms of security, labeling requirements. Meeting child resistance requirements mean some products are sealed into a plastic sarcophagus designed to torment rheumatic sufferers of all stripes. Woe unto you, sufferer of Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis - there is no opting out of the child-proof cap, which is an option at prescription drug pharmacies.

Different weed retailers cater with varying degrees of success to the consumer segments of weed store customers. Several different weed 'ghettos' have evolved where customers can go to one neighborhood and hit a large number of stores in a small area. Good examples of such areas are the SODO region and out on Aurora avenue, past 100th or so. Stay tuned for an article highlighting the retail scene as it has evolved in the Seattle market.

-GK

Note: all pricing and availability information are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended as an advertisement to sell or an offer of availability. Please obey all laws and respect local ordinances. We are not affiliated with any of the products or retail outlets mentioned in this article.

(C) 2019 Stoner Living, all rights reserved. Article may be shared or re-posted as long as credit is given to Stoner Living.


---

Vaping & Hash Oil Pens - Are Weed Smokers the Tobacco Chewers of the Future?

What will the North American cannabis market look like in 2050? Joints packed up like cigarettes? Here at Stoner Living, we doubt it. We love the completely natural aspect of marijuana, and the virtually non-existent processing. Some cannabis devotees will surely stick with tradition and demand minimally processed flowers for smoking, but that probably won't dominate the market.

XL Vape Cartridges - visible (left) and 'stealth' (right)

A standardization-friendly, non-smoked version of weed seems most likely to reign supreme by the time cannabis is sold like cigarettes. To control dosage and minimize the number of producers (the US has 3 major tobacco companies right now - and two are talking about merging), a highly standardized, expensive to start up system is what the mature marijuana industry will look like.


Future cannabis connoisseurs who are non-cigarette smokers will be likely to enjoy 'vaping' their cannabis, and will be a lot less likely to fall into the "nothing works like smoking my bong/pipe/blunt" group. I understand the sentiment of this group, as I fall into it myself. But product development is driven by the wants and needs of the young - few market research agents include participants over the age of 36 in their research unless they have a demographic specific reason to do so. It's one of Marketing's dirty little secrets.

XLVape w/ Visible Cartridge

As I discussed in an earlier article, vape pens "fix" a lot of the problems consumer's have with cannabis- - no smoke, no smell, no lingering odor. The trade off is that the vape pen experience is not exactly the same - and for many, it is not as satisfying.

It's no big secret: smoking is bad for you, is increasingly taboo and it is a dying part of our culture. But it is a legal part of our culture, and despite cigarette volume declines, cigarettes will never completely go away.

Joint 10 Pack from Urban Roots Collective

Smoking is the norm for marijuana these days. And many pot smokers also smoke cigarettes. But that doesn't mean it will always be that way. Think about tobacco: first it was smoked in pipes, then rolled in tobacco leaves and smoked, and it is chewed in a variety of cultures.

Tennessee Twist

Trends wax and wane but few (if any) habits truly go away. Nasal snuff is nasty stuff, but it is still manufactured and sold. And there is a stronghold of Tennessee twist tobacco users, mostly old holdouts from the tobacco growing regions down where Tennesee meets the North Carolina.Today's joint smoking pot farmers from Cascadia may be doomed to be tomorrow's Tennessee twist holdouts.

Here in the United States, smoking was originally promoted by public health campaigns due to the risk of typhoid and other spit borne diseases that were so deadly in the early 1900s. When cigarette filters were introduced in the 50s, one of the first was the Kent Micronite filter, made from Asbestos.

So let's proceed with caution as we march into the future of legal marijuana. It would be wise to learn some lessons from the tobacco industry. Better yet, the nascent world of legal marijuana  could develop a marketing model that would put consumer 'wellbeing' paramount to profit. 

(c) 2014 Stoner Living Blog

Underground Glass Artists Featured at 2013 Night with Borosilicate Gallery and Torch Show

Editor's Choice - Seattle's Glass Pipe Gallery Show

** Bob Snodgrass started the glass art pipe industry as we know it today as he followed the Grateful Dead and blew glass in the parking lot outside shows. He will be collaborating with others in this evening of art and live glassblowing.  In 30 short years, America's newest folk art has gone from the dead show parking lot to the attention of serious art collectors. 
          

Dragonslayer (Lace Face & Big Dan collaborative piece)

 SEATTLE, Wash. - The underground world of “functional” glass art will emerge in an established gallery at the 7^th Annual Night with Borosilicate on May 4^th, 2013.  The event, hosted by Hot Glass Color & Supply and co-sponsored by Piece of Mind, will feature live torch demonstrations, Seattle’s only glass art pipe gallery show, a silent auction, raffle & technical workshops for glass artists. The event will be held in the Belltown neighborhood, at the Seattle Glassblowing Studio space. Tickets for the evening’s events are $10 and will be available at the door.

 Although relatively unknown in the mainstream art world, a vibrant scene has emerged around a new American folk art – elaborate, hand blown glass pipes that are functional enough to use for smoking. These amazing creations will come out of the shadows and into one of Seattle’s premier glass art galleries for a night of glassblowing, camaraderie and charity. The documentary film ‘Degenerate Art’ by Marble Slinger Productions helped popularize this art form when it was released on Netflix in 2012. The passage of I-502, the ballot initiative legalizing recreational marijuana use in Washington State, is bringing wider recognition to this rebellious art form indigenous to the Pacific Northwest.

Piece from 2010 show

Top borosilicate glass artists, including many featured in the film ‘Degenerate Art’ will collaborate throughout the night to create one super piece.  Featured artists include Bob Snodgrass, Dosher, Cameron Tower, J-Red, TRUE and Tree.   

Lace Face

Art collectors and glass enthusiasts will enjoy the gallery show, which will highlight local and renowned artists’ artwork, showcasing innovative designs, unique color applications.  Throughout the evening, guests can vote for their favorites in the gallery show, and the winning artists will be announced at 11pm.  Many of the pieces from the gallery show will be available for purchase.

A silent auction benefiting Smile Train will include unique functional glass art pieces from some of the world's best borosilicate glass artists. Smile Train is a life-changing non-profit that provides free cleft-lip and palate surgery to in-need children worldwide.

The borosilicate community has longstanding ties to Smile Train, which began when the artist known as Fugly suggested proceeds from the Chicago Project (a live charity glassblowing event) go to Smile Train. Seth True, a borosilicate artist, explains "It's hard to imagine changing the world, but it's easy to raise $250 and change a kid's life forever."

Brick House series by TRUE

Throughout the evening, guests can win prizes from a glass-themed raffle including tools, glass color, unique artwork, apparel and more. Each guest will receive a limited number of tickets with admission and additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.  

The event owes a special thanks to Seth True from TRUE glass for arranging the schedule of the torch show as well as the pre- and post- event glassblowing seminars.

Borosilicate glassblowers can participate in pre- and post conference technical workshops. Friday’s workshop will focus on fuming techniques, and Sunday will be a color workshop sponsored by Glass Alchemy. Workshop fees include admission to the main event. A special VIP package for glassblowers featuring admission to both technical workshops and the main event is available in advance for $420. Contact Cyrena at Hot Glass Color 206-448-1199 to register.

The legendary Bob Snodgrass on the torch (2012)

About Hot Glass Color & Supply:

Hot Glass Color & Supply was established in 2001 to serve the glass art community with glassblowing supplies, tools and the largest inventory of Kugler glass colors in North America. Lampworking supplies including kilns and glass colors for beadmaking are available from a wide array of vendors.  Borosilicate artists will enjoy Seattle’s best selection of tubes, colors and tools.

Contact information: Cyrena Stefano, Hot Glass Color & Supply, (206) 448-1199

--------------Edited for Stoner Living Blog by Heather Hjorth  (c) 2013