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The Science of Clean Dabs – Introducing the Dabtab and Interview With ILO Research
November 27, 2020 in Dabs, Products, Spotlights
A few months ago we asked our Instagram followers this question – “what are the newest and coolest technologies in cannabis”. We got quite a few answers but there’s one innovation that we followed up with shortly after the post , and it’s a product that could come in handy for everyone; licensed extractors through legacy innovators, home vs mobile marijuana consumers, newbies or connoisseurs. This product has the potential to offer everyone a cool solution to a common problem. Sticky cannabis extracts… Sticky fingers, sticky shirts, stick pants, sticky floors, sticky $%^$%^ everything.
Dabtabs bring a new way to dose shatter, or any wax or oil based extracts for easy use on the go and at home. They are a little preloaded cartridge or cannister for your dabs that drop right into your bong, enail or vape device. Dabtabs require that your device can get up to roughly 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Other then that, pack it up, pack it in, and why don’t we begin the interview with ILO Research’s badass product, the Dabtab.
What are Dabtabs?
Dabtabs are a proprietary glass-ceramic hybrid substrate. They are a microporous, inert sponge that holds a precise amount of any liquid stable at room temperature.
Why are Dabtabs perfect for dabbing?
Dabtabs are perfect for dabbing for many different reasons. Foremost, they are dry to the touch, stable up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and hold exactly 50mg of extract. This makes dabbing much easier as it eliminates the need for specialty tools, wasted extracts stuck to jars and lids, or limiting where full flavor extracts can be enjoyed. With our accompanying devices, including the Dabtabs All-in-One and the Shatterizer Dabtabs Edition, users are able to dab “on-the-go” and in a familiar form factor – combined with the precision dosing, it’s the perfect combination for new concentrate users! Experienced users will love the ability to easily travel with, share, and carry multiple strains without the need for special equipment or storage.
Is anyone else making this or are they propriety to your company?
These are proprietary to Ilo Research. We have an exclusive relationship with a USA based manufacturing partner and the product is patented and patent pending internationally.
What type of dab rigs do Dabtabs work in; bangers, enails, vape pens, hot fire?
Our saying here is “if it fits, its hits!” – in essence, the tab will work with any device that has sufficient contact area and heat to get the tab up to vaporization temperature (about 400 degrees Fahrenheit). It can be used in traditional bangers (the “cold start” method works best), e-nails, any vape pen with a flat/ceramic or quartz bucket, and it works as a topper on traditional flower smoked with a lighter! It also does great in portable rigs like the Puffco Peak, Dr. Dabber Switch, or Carta Focus V. =
What type of dab rigs do Dabtabs not work on?
It does not work on Quartz Dual Coil (QDC) powered vape pens, a standard nectar collector, or any device without sufficient area for the tab to fully contact the heating element to reach temperature.
Do Dabtabs change the experience of the hoot at all or is it the same as if you were dabbing with a tool and open extracts?
DabTabs change the experience in a couple of subtle ways. Foremost, when first consuming a DabTab, users will experience more flavor than they would from the same extract consumed traditionally. This is because the glass-ceramic matrix buffers heat, ensuring that the volatile terpenes are preserved until they reach their phase change temperature. Because the phase change temperature varies by terpene, a DabTab consumer will notice the flavor change a little between hits as various terpenes are expressed. We also find that DabTabs are generally more “efficient” than dabbing extracts in a banger with a tool/torch. From 1/20th of a gram a consumer will generally get 3-5 “hits” – allowing for easier sharing or the ability to re-heat a dab after a couple of hits.
What sizes do they come in and does each size work on all devices?
For now, DabTabs come in only one size: 50mg or 1/20th of a gram per tab – sold in ½ gram (10 tab) packs and 1 gram (20 tab) packs.
How do you load a Dabtab?
DabTabs are loaded by licensed processors in each market, we manufacture the technology and provide the processes and SOPs for various extracts and liquids that are infused into the tabs. The process to infuse a tab varies by the composition of the fluid being suspended in the matrix. We work closely with each processor to develop a unique process that fits their production methods and materials to ensure quality and consistency; therefore, for each partner, the exact infusion process is a trade secret.
What are they made out of and why don’t they burn when exposed to heat?
The tabs are made of a proprietary glass-ceramic hybrid substrate. They are made to ASTM standards in an ISO 9001 facility in the USA. They do not burn when exposed to heat for the same reasons that quartz bangers or ceramic buckets do not burn when exposed to heat – it takes very high temperatures, high enough to melt glass, to deteriorate the substrate. In any regular use, the device should never reach a temperature sufficient to disrupt the matrix.
Are there any emissions that could be bad for the lungs? Are they lab tested?
The tabs are lab tested in the USA to very stringent standards. There are no emissions from the tabs that are harmful to the lungs – the tabs are inert just as a quartz banger is. We have had the tabs 3rd party lab tested in various ways including comparing the same extract heated in a DabTab to heated in a banger and we find that the DabTab produces fewer potentially harmful volatile compounds due to the matrix holding undesirable compounds internally and buffering the heat they receive. When a traditional dab is taken, material needs to be cleaned out of the banger after use. With a DabTab, the banger stays dry! The tab holds all of the unconsumable residue internally. We have also had the tabs tested directly in a wide array of tests to determine their elemental composition and reaction under vaporization temperatures and found no detectable harmful compounds from the tabs. Finally, the tabs have been tested by regulators in California, Ohio, and other stringent US markets and never failed a regulated test for any compound!
What type of extracts work in Dabtabs?
We have tested virtually every type of extract and have a process to infuse the tabs with it. This includes live resin, shatter, budder, wax, cured resin, diamonds and sauce, terpene sauce, HTCE, full spectrum extracts of any extraction method, live rosin, hash rosin, etc. The only extract that we’ve been unable to infuse into the tabs is a sandy ice wax.
What happens with Dabtabs once they’ve been all used and abused and what is the lifespan of 1?
The DabTab is a single use item, so once consumed, the residual tab can be discarded. We work with dispensaries to have a recycling program where used tabs can be returned for collection. We also suggest that consumers use the tabs in their gardens as a perlite / aeration substitute. Our testing has found that the properties of the tab (liquid retention, porosity, and inert nature) help with root development and growth. We are now piloting a study with some local partners to study the exact impact of the tabs on growth and plant development. In effect, once the tab is used, it’s inert as a rock would be, so can be recycled back into the soil and will breakdown overtime into its natural elemental state.
Are there any notable personalities that you’ve had the chance to share Dabtabs with?
We’ve shared our technology at trade shows & events around the USA and did a special session with Tommy Chong in the summer of 2019.
I think this is a great product for the legal cannabis market to be honest. Have Dabtabs expanded in Canada or considered any growth or conversations with licensed extractors?
We just expanded into Canada with a new partner CDN GRN. They will be distributing the DabTab product with several partners all across Canada! We also have a CBD line of DabTabs, Levata, that is sold throughout the EU, USA, and Latin America.
Do Dabtabs work with industrial machinery or are they easy to fill on a large scale?
Yes, we have a process for them to be filled on small and large scale. They are remarkably easy to fill when done correctly and our partners find that compared to gramming out extract in a traditional method, the DabTabs are much more efficient to produce and package!
What is the perfect situation for a Dabtab and tell us who the Dabtab is perfect for.
DabTabs are perfect for anyone looking for more portability and more diverse options for consuming concentrates & extracts on the go. I am an avid outdoor enthusiast, so I really enjoy being able to take DabTabs with me on hikes, kayaking adventures or camping trips. Because they are shelf stable & leak proof up to 120 Fahrenheit (48 Celcius), I am able to take them with me anywhere I go and grateful to be able to have diverse options that aren’t available via traditional portable delivery mechanisms. Newer consumers who are “concentrate curious” really appreciate the dosage & temperature control our technology provides and the smooth flavor that comes through as a result.
What is the Dabtab to go, and how does it work?
The DabTabs GO is a 510 thread compatible atomizer designed to work specifically with DabTabs. It works with most reasonably powerful, push-button style battery. We have since developed and released the DabTabs GO All-in-One which is the GO atomizer that is permanently attached to a battery that we designed to work specifically with DabTabs. The All-in-One has a preheat function programmed into it to take the guesswork out of using DabTabs on the go.
Does this have an additional coil, or do the Dabtabs work as a coil?
The GO atomizer is a discreet unit and doesn’t have additional coils/parts to swap out. The ceramic heating disc has a longer lifespan than a quartz/QDC coil and because the DabTab will retain some of the residual material that can gunk up atomizers/parts and preserve the lifespan of the atomizer. With regular cleaning and maintenance, the GO atomizer will last for quite some time. When we were developing & testing the concept in the lab, we ran more than 100 tabs through a GO atomizer in a single day without cleaning and the unit worked just fine.
What are the benefits to this style of vape vs others?
A major benefit of DabTabs technology is that the extract/concentrate never comes in direct contact with the heat source. When heated, the ceramic matrix of the tab vaporizes & releases its contents, preventing any kind of contact with metals and reducing opportunities for leeching. Additionally, most traditional vaporizers offer little to no temperature control, allowing consumers to easily overheat & combust their extracts which can ruin flavor & experience and is potentially harmful. By acting as a thermal buffer, DabTabs help keep the temperature in the ideal range for combustion-free vaporization.
Is there any custom settings on the DabTab ToGo in regards to airflow or heat exposure or is it just plug and play
The DabTabs GO All-in-One has 3 temperature settings to give consumers control over their experience. The GO atomizer on its own is plug & play since the battery it is paired with would control voltage output.
Does the Dabtab itself contro the airflow, or does the device still play a part?
The DabTabs do not impede/control airflow, once it is hot enough to vaporize & release its contents, the device being used dictates the air-flow.
The Dabtab ToGo is a 510 thread correct?
The GO atomizer is a 510 thread. We’re always coming up with new & innovative solutions for portable vaporization and existing bangers/set-ups for many devices already work with DabTabs today!
ILO RESEARCH
What is ILO Research
Ilo is a consumer product and vaporization focused research company based in Portland, OR and we’ve been around since 2017. We currently have 6 employees based in our HQ office.
How long have you guys been around, how bit is the company and where are you located?
We’re a Canadian company that typically covers Canadian products and innovations, but this was so cool we had to get in touch. I haven’t seen / heard of you before, do you have a Canadian footprint at all? Where can Canadians find your products in retail or online?
We have partnered with CDN GRN for Canadian distribution. We are currently under review with Health Canada for a 2021 launch.
Are you a DabTab focused brand, or working on other innovations? What can we expect in the future?
We are focused on all aspects of vaporization. In the future you can expect the next evolution of a wax pen, a major improvement on the 510-thread system, and a revolutionary laser-based vaporization product.
If Canadians want to sell your products in store, where’s the best place to get started?
If Canadians want to buy your products, where’s the best place to get started?
They will be on the shelf in 2021! If they want to try them earlier, we have a CBD product and an online store.
Does your team offer affiliate or dropshipping options for cannabis entreprenuers in Canada?
Yes, please reach out.
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The CANNAVIST Magazine Launches Second Three-Day Virtual Live Event For CBD & Medical Cannabis
November 13, 2020 in Events
From November 18-20, The CANNAVIST, the UK and Ireland’s essential guide to CBD and medical cannabis, will launch its second live online event, this time set virtually in the USA.
Following the success of the debut event held online in July, this free-to-attend virtual exhibition is for patients, customers, partners, and business professionals all over the world.
With an entire virtual exhibition hall dedicated to CBD, this three-day live event will be jam-packed with a host of inspiring features, panel discussions, a CBD cooking theatre and 100+ exhibitors to bring you everything you could possibly want from a CBD event. Whether you’re new to CBD or an industry pro, there is something for everyone at CBD LIVE on VOXPO.
The event has already attracted a high volume of prestigious high-profile speakers, including scientists and doctors working day-to-day with medical cannabis. The auditorium will feature Chef Melissa J Parks, an experienced cannabis chef from the Netflix series ‘Cooked with Cannabis’.
Christina DiArcangelo, CEO and founder of Affinity Bio Partners, a clinical research organisation, will open the event with a keynote webinar about changing your career to the cannabis sector and being a woman at the top of this growing industry.
Due to the pandemic, the event will take place entirely online and is set to feature hundreds of new CBD products and exclusive offers from exhibitors, making CBD LIVE at VOXPO the best destination for great value CBD products.
Attendees can sign-up for a one-to-one virtual chat with well-known brands such as
Nestlé, Grass & Co., Hempelicious and more. As CBD is renowned for its calming and anti-inflammatory benefits, visitors will also have the option to put their name down for a live online yoga and guided meditation classes with California-based yoga specialist, Cheri Smith.
The hosts of CBD LIVE at VOXPO, The CANNAVIST, made history in January 2020 by becoming the first cannabis-based publication to be sold on UK and Irish high streets. The magazine is available to buy at major newsagents and convenience retailers, including WH Smith across the UK and Eason & Sons in Ireland. Every edition is also available to read on Readly, the world’s largest digital magazine platform with more than 1 million readers worldwide.
According to Alphagreen.io, 8.4 million Britons have either bought or say they will buy a CBD product this year, which shows there is no time like the present for businesses to take advantage of this lucrative networking opportunity. Furthermore, it’s a chance for consumers to delve deeper into the therapeutic benefits of this legal cannabis extracts.
To register for VOXPO for free, with a chance to win £500 worth of CBD goodies, visit: voxpo-event.com.
Contacts
For media queries, please email: katie@cannavistmag.com
For all general VOXPO queries, please email: info@voxpo-event.com
To speak to a member of the team, please call: +44 1332 650 239
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Ontario Cannabis Raids Lead To The Discovery of 3 Kangaroos and 2 Zebras
November 2, 2020 in Today In Weed, Weed
Late October the York Regional Police seized 28,964 plants and 3,990 pounds of harvested cannabis valued at over $150 million in Project Green Sweep, a massive Ontario operation that led to 37 arrests and 67 charges.
15 search warrants were executed, a number of properties in the York region including Markham, King, Stouffville and East Gwillimbur; and among the items seized, 3 kangaroos and 2 zebras at a location in Schomberg.
Grey area in Canada’s medical cannabis programs has been cited by the YRP as to how these operations have gone undetected.
The ACMPR program, or Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations have been available to Canadians in order to provide medical patients fair access to cannabis for medical purposes. This comes with far larger numbers than the Cannabis Act limit of 4 plants and 30 grams. Up to 4 licenses with increased plant limits can be pooled together on one property which makes it cheaper to produce in the long run and allows license holders to possess not only hundreds of plants but also multiple pounds of stored, dried cannabis.
Here’s a few images courtesy of the YRP press release “ILLEGAL CANNABIS CONNECTED TO ORGANIZED CRIME SEIZED BY YORK REGIONAL POLICE“.
Check out all of the images from Project Green Sweep
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Ross Rebagliati Brings The Gold To Canada For a Second Time – We Sit Down To Learn The Real Story Of Ross Rebagliati
October 26, 2020 in Business, Growing, Sports, Spotlights, Weed
If you don’t know the story of Ross Rebagliati, you’re missing out on a truly crazy experience with roots so Canadian it will leave you smoking a spliff in a snow fort and drinking maple syrup.
We recently got in touch with cannabis entrepreneur, family man and Olympic gold medalist, Ross Rebagliati.
Ross attended the 1998 Nagano Olympics to compete in the first Olympic snowboarding event (ever), and would end up winning gold, only to get the medal stripped and reinstated in the days following due to testing positive for THC.
Rebagliati’s story so unique at the time, Ross was featured on every major talk show with the likes of Jay Leno taking interest in the successes and challenges encountered by the Canadian snowboarder.
Below our team sits down with Ross to get the details of what happened behind the scenes at the 1998 Olympics and see what Ross is up to in 2020.
Ross! Thanks for sitting down with us. Tell us a little a bit about your early years snowboarding and how cannabis became such a massive part of your life growing up.
I started snowboarding in 1987 after ski racing for 6 yrs. I was already 15 but at the time snowboarding was still prohibited across North America. I competed from 88-91 on the BC amateur snowboard circuit. Lots of free riding and zero training was the method.
I was 19 when I dropped out of college and moved to Whistler from Vancouver to pursue my snowboarding career. That’s when I learned weed was away bigger part of sports and healthy living then I ever could’ve imagined. The athlete’s I met were ultra endurance and used cannabis all day long. They also didn’t really drink, went to bet rather early and woke up even earlier to capitalize on endless powder adventures in the winter and Mt Bike rides in the summer. Those rides eventually turned me onto road biking.
There was also physcadelics like shrooms and LSD but alcohol never found its place amongst us(mostly). With cannabis I could relax 100% and perform at 100% day in day out.
Did cannabis impact or enhance your snowboard abilities at all, did you find medical benefits in it when it came to pain management or injuries, or was it kinda just part of the BC culture?
Cannabis is part of the BC culture and I can remember smelling it on the chairlift when I was a kid and nobody ever cared. It was everywhere. When I started using cannabis on a regular (19 yrs) it was for many reasons. Despite what the messaging was from the prohibition message at the time, I felt like it was a healthy choice over drinking and cigarettes etc.
Furthermore it enhanced my awareness of everything from my surroundings to danger to the beauty as well as helping me with how I felt on my board. It helped me realize a bad situation more easily. To bed early, up early, great apatite,.no hangovers… beauty.
Snowboarding is known to be tough on the body from the hard impacts through injuries – do you think cannabis has a place in professional snowboarding, and as a medical ailment for snowboarders in general, and how so?
Cannabis does have a place in sport. Among other things one of its most beneficial uses is to help cure and prevent concussions.
CBD has the ability to help the brain recover from trauma and coats it in a kind of plasma that acts as a impact cushion between the brain and your skull. This is crucial for extreme sports athlete’s including sports like the NFL. CBD’s anti- inflammatory qualities are second to none and are very effective when used topically on location. Cannabis is calorie free and “keto: friendly so great for those athlete diets and the lifestyle that goes with it.
The benefits are endless.
As someone who competed at the highest level of snowboarding, does cannabis have a place in professional sport when it comes to performing in front of cameras and crowds? How can cannabis help with the anxiety of being on a massive stage such as the one you achieved?
I’d say due to the nature of cannabis that using it during competition at that level is not something most people would subject themselves too lol. Its more of a private thing that doesnt need to be used necessarily at the time of the performance. Rather I used cannabis the day before and the night after but never really during completion at that level. Nothing like being baked with a TV camera in your face with strangers everywhere.
Not to mention it was very illegal and banned world-wide. In those days you had to hide before you puffed. It was fun like that though. As far as helping with anxiety, it’s the days you do use it that teaches you to be patient and more relaxed when your not using it. It trains your mind to chill out. Cannabis isnt something you use lightly. I mean you have to pick your time. You have to make time for it. Like a meditation.
The 1998 Nagano Olympics
First of all, how was the Olympics? Do you have any funny stories, memories? Did you guys have any reefer out there in Japan?
The Olympics were epic. A dream come true in many ways. The first one for snowboarding!! That made it even more awesome.
One wild memory was rather unfortunate for one of my teammates and favorite to win. I watched him accidently wreck his board the night before. I tried to help him that night but he declined. I wanted to drill holes through his board to insert Tbolts as he had just striped the healy coil attaching the derby plate to his board. It let go when he was leading with the fastest time on the first run. Not funny but it did happen.
Other athletes who will remain anonymous got kicked out of Japan for being too drunk after not winning. Some even stole a front end loader and took it for a spin. Not sure the Olympics was ready for us. Haha reefer isn’t really something found in Japan easily so it wasn’t ever on the menu when we were there. Europe yes.. Amsterdam was a dream world to me in the 90’s.
Post-race you get drug tested. How did this go down?
After the race they brought us (top 3) into an army tent set up by the finish line where we peed into a cup. We got IOC drug test pins. I later tested positive for THC and was stripped of the gold for two days until I won my appeal on grounds THC was not on the list of banned substances. Classic
You made an appearance on the Jay Leno show and referenced the Bill Clinton “no inhale” as to how you had cannabis found in your system. That’s hilarious. At the time were you expecting this to happen or did you not really consume cannabis at the time period in your life?
Leno actually made the reference to Clinton smoking but not inhaling and I inhaled but didn’t smoke. In April of 1997 I stopped smoking weed to meet Olympic criteria. Only thing is I was still having dinners and visiting friends where cannabis was being consumed. Never thought in a million years I’d test positive for THC that way. Second hand. As it turned out I failed three drug tests for THC prior to going to Nagano but was never made aware of it.
After my positive test in Nagano they publicly released those three positive THC tests. The question then becomes how did I test positive three times for a substance I could be disqualified for without being notified? The reason.. THC wasn’t on the list of banned substances for snowboarding at the time so I wasn’t notified. The IOC then had to return my medal and I became the first athlete in Olympic history to striped of a gold medal and have it returned and reinstated. Unreal..
What were the repercussions of the whole thing and what did the years after the Olympics look like for you?
That’s a big question.. It was a transformation from being a normal guy to being ultra famous mostly for elicit drugs. I was banned from the US starting after 911 2001 when they put me on the no fly list.
X games were new at the time and this killed my post Olympic career. I retired from the world cup. Stayed home for 10 yrs. I had PTSD bad during this time. Its one thing to become famous (somewhat) but I was known for stereotype and stigma. Not famous for the right reasons. Hard to earn a living that way. Sure snowboarding put me there but the fall out was tuff to take. I knew in time things would improve but didn’t know it would take over 20 yrs.
I think it took pioneers like you to really put cannabis in the spotlight of certain lifestyles to get people to think about its legal status and inevitably legalize it. Knowing where we are today, If you could go back would you do everything the same, would you? If anything, what would you have done different?
Wouldn’t change a thing.
2020 Ross
What’s Ross up to today?
Today I have a family with three kids (Ryan 11, Rosie 8 and Rocco whos 5) a beautiful wife (Ali) of 10 yrs. We also have 2 cats 2 guinea pigs a budgy and a puppy Cane Corso named Bella. Aside from raising up the family I’m also building a brand (Ross’Gold) in the cannabis space.
We launched during prohibition in 2013 and even had an award winning dispensary by Leafly. See the doc TSN made on me called Higher Ground. Shows the Ross Gold store. We actually shut everything down voluntarily prior to legalization and are about to relaunch Ross Gold 2.0 in the new recreational era with 2018 cannabis legalization in Canada.
Tell us about the team behind Ross’ Gold, how long you guys have been in business and what youre bringing to the craft cannabis market in Canada?
Ross gold has a very strategic team behind it.
My biz partner Adam Gerges head up the guts of the team and Shawn Ripley is our very trusted industry specialist with regard to licensing and Health Canada. Shawn has been involved in helping start several consumer popular LP’s and micro cultivation facilities. We also partnered with a law firm so we got that end covered.
Is Ross’ Gold a medical focused company and will the recreational industry get to see some of your products eventually?
Ross Gold has a strong medically focused strategy to bring top quality medical grade flower and cannabis extracts infusions etc to patients across Canada but like I always say, There’s no such thing as recreational cannabis’. Its still good for you anyway you use it. Having said that I am a BIG fan of using cannabis in a recreational manner as a way to relax and for some people helping them get off and stay off opiates, alcohol and other addictive substances while still being able to enjoy friends and family alike.
I love getting baked, high, lifted, medicated… Call it what you want. I’m a prohibition kid about to turn 50. Its in my blood. I like it that way.
Your Instagram is awesome and I can really tell you truly love the plant and prioritize quality and the end user. Is quality priority for Ross’ Gold, and how do you think the business is positioned to change the cannabis industry in Canada?
Quality and the trust of the people means everything to us at Ross Gold.
Our customers will know by the Ross Gold stamp of approval that we have done our due diligence by only bringing top quality producers and processor’s of craft cannabis flower and products to the table.
Where can we find Ross’ Gold?
In 2021 Ross’Gold cannabis products will be available across Canada online and in stores coast to coast to coast.
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The YouTube of Cannabis Has Arrived – Meet TheWeedTube, Your Cannabis Friendly Streaming Platform
October 21, 2020 in Art, Business, Products, Spotlights, Tech, Today In Weed
If you’re a content creator, or just browsing the internet for cannabis inspired videos, you’ve probably experienced some sort of censorship. Cannabis laws around the world vary in different regions, and that means it’s tough to manage the policies that should apply to each uploader. With this, many platforms like YouTube take a harsh stance on cannabis consumption and themed content, especially when offering a platform that caters to viewers under the age of 18, or the legal consumption age of reach area.
We recently discovered a platform that offers cannabis creators a media uploading platform with an easy to use interface, a HUGE variety of uploaders posting from around the world, and quite the active userbase. One massive benefit to uploading on YouTube is the massive viewership waiting to find your content, and as a website, this is a hard statistic to maintain. Did you know you can sell your images and videos of weed online? Check out our guide on how to sell images online here.
Weed Friendly Video Uploading
TheWeedTube is a cannabis inspired media platform that has actually managed to maintain and grow their userbase steadily over the last few years. With a mobile app and a website, if you’re seeking cannabis education or inspired content to watch, or a platform that permits cannabis themed uploads, you’re going to want to check TheWeedTube out!
TheWeedTube has advertiser options for businesses, and opportunities for creators to monetize videos once a channel has reached over 420 subscribers. Monetized creator accounts are added to a pool and depending upon monthly views receive a portion of the monthly advertiser revenue.
We got in touch with the team at TheWeedTube for a quick interview.
What is TheWeedTube?
TheWeedTube is a video platform for the cannabis space! Since its launch TheWeedTube has evolved into a place where creators can not only have a guaranteed safe place for their content to live, but can also be compensated for their hard work. TheWeedTube is the first site to provide commercial based advertising for cannabis-related companies!
When did you guys get started and what was the inspiration behind a YouTube for well, weed content?
We launched TheWeedTube in early 2018 when YouTube started the “cannabis purge”. An event where hundreds of cannabis related channels were removed from the platform without warning. A group of those deleted YouTubers were able to raise the initial funds needed within 72 hours to start the platform. A year later, we launched an app for iOS and Android, quickly making us the largest social media in cannabis.
How big is the website and app userbase in 2020?
We have over 90,000 videos, 4.5 million unique users since launch, and over 120k app downloads.
I noticed a few unique features such as the drop down with popular categories and new video notifications; what other features are helping TheWeedTube stand out?
We are actually looking forward to more unique features in our upcoming update for the site and app! One of those features is a section of the site called “The Daily Sesh” where users can interact with each other virtually during their daily smoke sesh!
How do your terms of service vary from YouTube’s and I know the name says weed, but how can we be sure our content Is safe
YouTube is VERY strict with the verbiage they use when describing acceptable content… “Content shall not encourage, condone, or tolerate the recreational use of other narcotics, prescribed or otherwise, etc”… The sheer fact that cannabis is mentioned at all on TWT already sets it apart from YouTube. The nature of it being a platform with emphasis on cannabis content generates the trust and reassurance to viewers and creators.
How many viewers / audience does TheWeedTube see each month?
On average 300,000-400,000 monthly
What types of content are you guys looking for and who is the perfect uploader for TheWeedTube?
Cannabis content is currently our primary focus, though we hope to expand further into the PG-13 and R rated user generated content arena. YouTube has become overly censored in the past few years and we need a place where people can still say a few curse words if they want to (doing so on YouTube will now get your channel demonetized). We hope to become what cable TV was to network television in the world of user generated content.
The perfect uploader would be someone with influence outside of the cannabis space who enjoys cannabis. Someone who can create a new type of content for TheWeedTube that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
Are there any notable uploaders or influencers using TheWeedTube at the moment?
Currently we have seen a huge influx of international content creators uploading to the site (Tomazine420, NahBrisa, RaKaL4i20). They found TheWeedTube after being flagged on YouTube for cannabis content.
Other notable uploaders, (MacDizzle420, LaganjaEstranja, StonedAlone, SilkySlim416, Mr-Canucks-Grow) also run and operate YouTube channels that are either demonetized or currently have content strikes. We also have quite a few creators that upload exclusively to TheWeedTube; BambiTheBoom, BakedBeauty420 and SaladBrainProductions to name a few!
Does TheWeedTube have live streaming capabilities?
Not at this time. However, we are looking into it for future versions of the app!
What is your team doing to grow the audience and generate content creators that are cannabis based?
We do a variety of things, but one successful outreach is our Weedkly Newsletter curated by RJ Blade. He does a wonderful job of highlighting the latest blog posts and content creator happenings on the site… all while growing a weekly recurring audience!
Cannabis is still illegal in most parts of the world. What is your policy regarding information in the event authorities request information on a user publishing from an area cannabis is illegal?
We ask all users to follow their local laws regarding cannabis.
Which video categories tend to be the most popular for uploaders and viewership?
The most popular category is the growing/gardening section of the site. Many users utilize the connections they create on TWT to better their own growth/processes. While there is a healthy mix of novice and experienced growers, we see new users attempting their own cannabis grows daily! Alongside the growing/gardening crowd- Cooking w/Cannabis and the Education categories also see dedicated users uploading and engaging consistently!
What type of streamers are perfect for TheWeedTube and who should be checking the platform out?
The perfect streamer would be someone who enjoys and seeks out cannabis content that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
A huge issue plaguing cannabis companies across Canada and the USA is the inability to advertise nearly anywhere including facebook, youtube, Instagram. What advertising opportunities are available for cannabis businesses and how does TheWeedTube help connect brands with the perfect consumers?
TheWeedTube excels massively when it comes to advertising abilities. We are proud to be one of the only places that a brand can utilize commercial advertising through video. With a targeted audience of cannabis enthusiasts constantly seeking out the latest innovations in the industry, TheWeedTube is the perfect place to educate consumers about your brand or product. Alongside commercial advertising we also offer on site/app banner ad placements as well as blog features and newsletter e-blasts.
Visit TheWeedTube Website
by extract
The Best Grow Box of 2020 Has Arrived in Canada – We Talk Automated Grow Boxes With Mary AG
October 16, 2020 in Growing, Spotlights, Tech, Weed
Automated Grow Boxes in 2020
Sitting Down With Mary AG
It’s 2020 and Canadians are permitted to grow recreational cannabis indoors with a limit of up to 4 plants within each residence. Rental or homeowner, one thing is for sure – There is an abundance of options for everyone in the market to cultivate their own cannabis indoors, each with a different price tag, offering unique benefits depending upon what you need.
Maintaining the atmosphere is going to help you to achieve a number of things, but most important; prevent unwanted pests from entering your space, containing your light so every lumen is absorbed, climate control, odor emissions, humidity and all the essentials to keep your plants thriving without unexpected deviations.
Enter grow boxes. Also referred to as an automated grow tent, grow cabinet, indoor grow box, weed or cannabis grow box, the automated versions are a relatively new way to grow cannabis indoors, in any space, while maintaining your interior appeal, not sacrificing anything when it comes to looks and style.
While the worlds early rounds of automated grow boxes offered a way for user to automate their grow process in a contained space with relatively no setup, this new wave of grow boxes comes with an upgraded level of visual appeal, no longer hiding in the shadows, but used as a piece of art places anywhere, in any room.
We spoke to Mary AG to learn more about why grow boxes are becoming so popular and why in 2020, automation has become an option accessible to anyone in any living situation.
Mary AG has recently launched a super affordable, visually appealing hydroponic grow box designed to enhance the look of any room, in fact this thing looks so cool, it could end up being the focal point. With a single click the grow box glass goes from completely transparent to fully covered up. That’s right, your Mary AG glass fogs up completely on command.
The Mary AG automated grow box system is built and designed in Canada and the team has made it easy to try yours for the total price of $1099 CAD – reserve your spot on the list with $149 down as these things are already on backorder because of their popularity.
Mary AG uses an in-house pod system to refill your nutrients so you don’t have to worry about mixing your own, and they come strain specific so you be sure your feeding your little ones the right food at all times.
The hydroponic system has a built in air conditioning unit and is completely enclosed in a 35cm x 45cm x 135cm space. The dual eglass ensures you get the most out of every lumen the multidirectional LED lighting setup. All of this comes in an efficient design that uses less energy than a 70″ LED screen each month,.
David, thanks for sitting down with us! We’re excited about the new products you’re bringing to Canadian cultivars. Let us in on a few reasons why automated grow boxes have become a preferred option for households across Canada.
Can 2020 get any more unpredictable? At this point, probably not. Access to Cannabis is one of those little things in life you can control. And, for people who rely on Cannabis for medical or therapeutic reasons, predictable and reliable access to Cannabis is even more essential.
Growing at home is one way to ensure you will have access and control over your own supply; at least in some part.
The process of growing also teaches you different aspects of different strains, and is a great way to really dig in to what phenotypes work best for you. On top of that, with more people working from home, an easy home grow can be a nice stress-relieving hobby. Unlike a traditional outdoor grow, the Mary grow box makes all of this accessible to anyone regardless of the size of the their living space, a lack of outdoor access, or absence of growing knowledge.
Is there a way to automate indoor growing completely?
There is no such thing as complete automation in growing, nor should there be! Some aspects of plant care are best done by human touch because it will result in better bud, and a much more rewarding experience for the grower.
Mary takes a little different approach than other grow box offerings in that we don’t automate every step completely. Rather, the companion app offers reminders and guides for better plant care, as well as live support that allows you to chat directly with our experienced team. After all, truly empowering people to grow their own means educating new growers on the fundamentals of plant health and proper growing practises.
What are three things that new cultivars should consider before getting started?
Strain selection: It is important, especially for new growers, to select a strain that is well suited to your growing environment. As you become a more experienced grower, you can venture out into different strains that might require a little more training for a fun challenge. Also, you should be selecting the strain that offers the ideal cannabinoids and attributes for consumption.
Genetics source: Where are you getting your seeds and/or clones? Are they reliable and trustworthy?
Timing and patience: It is a good idea to have a sense of when you want your harvest to be ready, and a little bit of patience with the process. Plants are living things and not all grows go exactly to a set schedule. Also, keep in mind that proper drying and curing of your harvest can make for more enjoyable consumption.
Buying local products. Why are Canadian made cannabis products the way to go?
We’re just built different! We’re so lucky to be living in a country with clear policy on a federal level. While we might not all agree with every bit of legislation, overall we can take a post-prohibition approach to Cannabis products by making them mainstream with all of the thoughtful quality controls that come with the territory.
Moving from soil to hydroponics. What’s different with a hydro grow box and what do we need to know?
Nothing is easier than throwing seeds on fertile soil and letting mother nature take over. However, we like to think that Mary is the next best thing if that option is not available.
In short, you don’t really need to know anything – just read the direction in the app and we’ll guide you through. If you have experience growing in soil, you might find Deep Water Culture (hydroponics) a little different. The vegetative phase of growth can be shorter allowing for quicker growing times. Unlike soil, the nutrients to support growth aren’t present naturally in water. That’s where feeding and monitoring come in and our app will show you how and remind you when.
Automated Grow Box
Meet Mary, an automated, hydroponic, indoor grow box
Mary is a new hydroponic grow box that is completely automated from top to bottom. If you’re looking for a stealth grow box, this might be a good consideration for you. The unique shape, LED features, and 2 way glass gives the Mary Box the appeal needed for any room in your house, all for a cost effective price of $1099 CAD.
Designed and made in Canada, the Mary AG automatic hydroponic grow system is a serious competitor and an option for anyone looking to jazz up a room with a live cannabis plant, or automate a single plant atmosphere. If you’re a frequent traveler or run a busy schedule, this box will keep your plant alive while your own the road but also ensure your space doesn’t smell like bud.
Mary AG Automated Grow Box Specs
Mary AG Main Features
2 Way eGlass & LED Lighting
2 way (dual) eGlass allows you to hop between transparent and covered glass with 1 simple click. This can be a great idea for those in a sunny areas, or simply when you want to check your plants or share your progress without alot of additional work.
The exterior lighting gives the Mary AG box a cool appeal and it’s exterior is one of the nicest units available anywhere in the world in 2020.
Hydroponic Nutrients Made Easy
For the user that is new to growing, or simply doesn’t have time to upkeep, mix and track nutrients, Mary AG will do that for you.
Nutrients are premixed for specific strains, so you can feed your plants the correct nutrients without the need to research or mix your own.
Multidirectional Lighting & Energy Effective
At maximum output, the Mary AG automated grow box will cost you less than running your 70 inch LED on a monthly basis,.
Multi directional lighting within the box ensures that light is actively reaching your plant from all sides, not simply the top. No energy is wasted, and the box is equip with spectrums to resemble every season.
Totally Automated Grow Box
This automated grow box is a benchmark for automation when it comes to odor control, lighting, nutrients and reporting on everything that’s happening in real time. Control everything from one interface on your mobile phone while dozens of sensors monitor everything important including odor emissions.
That means you don’t even need to be at home, control your grow box and see what’s happening from anywhere in the world.
Designed & Built in Canada
The Mary AG automated indoor grow system is designed, built and shipped from Canada. This makes their 1 year warranty easy to fulfil, and helps ensure quality support for Canadians.
by extract
75% of Ontario Cannabis Consumers Are Still Shopping Black Market
October 14, 2020 in Today In Weed, Weed
The OCS (Ontario Cannabis Store) recently published their annual insights report for the 2019-2020 year detailing which products were most popular, total sales breakdowns and a variety of Ontario industry information that you can check out for yourself here.
Within the report it’s noted that since 2019, legal cannabis sales in Ontario have struggled to gain customers from the illicit marketplace. In 2019 it was estimated the black market made up for 81% of all cannabis sales in the region while the newly legal cannabis dispensaries online and retail would only capture 19% of cannabis customers.
This year, the OCS reports that between 2019 and 2020, legal cannabis sales captured 25.1% in this Bloomberg article, suggesting a rise of 6% over the last year, a mere .4% in the first quarter of 2020.
It’s interesting to note that while the OCS reports nearly 75% of sales in their region leaning towards illicit cannabis, Stats Canada continues to report that across Canada that the total % of cannabis sales attributed to unlicensed retailers remains around 40% or $3.86 billion. That’s a 35% discrepancy between Ontario and the country as a whole, so we’re thinking you might want to take all these estimations with a grain of salt.
In any context, if we consider the 80:20 rule that suggests 80% of revenue comes from your top 20% of customers, we can assume the top 20% of cannabis consumers remain shopping where they were before, and this 40% to 75% of cannabis consumers account for a massive portion of the cannabis GDP in Ontario and other provinces across Canada.
Quality Issues Get Little Attention
Since legal cannabis came to Canada, the price and quality of cannabis reaching legal retailers have been questioned, and it’s clear that the provinces main focus is decreasing prices as the report touches once on quality assurance,.
The report touches on meeting Health Canada standards with Cannabis 2.0 products, and improving the on package labelling for more accurate statistics. These are important – but shouldn’t be a goal for producers, they should be a given to be operating in the legal market. The quality issues that are hot topics from the illicit market purchasers are focused at the products themselves, not the Health Canada standards, or packaging.
Online across social media, the quality assurance conversation tends to migrate to a few topics, size of the buds, a lack of proper curing, over dry buds, and a variety of cultivation related discussions. As of November, price point seems to be the target of change on a dispensary and distribution level. The OCS report also includes a short tidbit of information detailing the fact that they have found cannabis consumers in Canada will purchase the products if it is perceived to meet the quality standard of that consumer for a specific price point.
Other Notable Mentions
According to the OCS report, the product return rate over doubled from 147 to 314 in the last quarter of it’s fiscal year in 2020. This has been attributed to the newly released cannabis 2.0 products being launched into the market.
Dried flower dominated sales of all cannabis products with over 5.5 million grams on the OCS.ca website and 22.3 million grams in retail shops. Second in line was oils, prerolls, edibles and vapes, while beverages, concentrates, topicals and seeds sold significantly less units
by extract
Cannabinoid Absorption Onset & Duration
September 23, 2020 in Munchies, Weed
| Inhale | Eat | Oromucosal | Topical | |
| Onset | Seconds – minutes | 0.5 – 1.5 hours | 3 – 30 minutes | Variable |
| Duration | Up to 5 hours | Up to 12 hours | Up to 12 hours | Variable |
| Form | Smoking, vaporizing | Edibles, pill form | – | Only local effects |
| Pros | Quick onset, works great for nausea / pain | Less smell, concenient & discreet | Rapid but not immediete onset | Variable |
| Cons | Price, lung health | Delayed onset | Spotty availablity, bad taste | Only local effects |
| Best for | Accute or episodic symptoms | Chronic disease / symptoms | Accute symptoms | Localized symptoms |
Cannabis Absorption Comparison Chart
As per the Cannabis Act we cannot recommend anything cannabis for any medical benefit or use. So, this chart is solely for entertainment purposes. All of the information given below has been put into this chart based on licensed healthcare professionals and Health Canada. Please see the sources below for more information.
Feel free to use this chart as a print out in your dispensary, bong shop, clinic or wherever it can find value or readers.
by extract
Hemp Shoes: How One Company Is Using Cannabis To Save The World With Eco Friendly Fashion – Interview With 8000Kicks
September 21, 2020 in Business, Fashion, Products, Spotlights
THE 8000KICKS BRAND
Check out 8000Kicks latest release regarding their line of Hemp Backpacks on Kickstarter here.
Our team recently came across 8000Kicks, an ecofriendly, hemp-made shoe brand with a new line of kicks launching on Tuesday September 22 2020! We had the chance to sit down with the 8000Kicks team to learn a little bit more about the movement and their innovative new products, we’ll dive into that below. But first, a quick intro.
It appears that 8000Kicks made their foundation with the line “Dope Kicks” a successful crowdfunding campaign that can be found on a few platforms. The Indigogo campaign notes that 8000Kicks successfully raised a pinner under half a million dollars in 2019 to get the gears rolling.
If you’re the type of person who prioritizes fashion, you’ve probably noticed the lack of daily wearable hemp based alternatives when it comes to style and trends. That barrier is reducing as everyday new hemp products are coming to retail, and 8000Kicks is one of the first options for your feet that have a complete custom frame and eco friendly products for every component on the shoe.
While wear-ability with hemp requires a little bit of a break in period (to loosen the stiffer fibers), fabric derived from hemp has always been on the table as a stronger alternative to traditional cottons and fabrics. Challenges with hemp manufactured clothing tend to arise when it comes to consistent access to hemp products, regional regulation uncertainties and well, expensive price that tends to push designers away from it’s usage.
Fortunately, with cannabis’ push into the legal spotlight, we’re seeing regulations lax on an international stage when it comes to hemp products, international exchange and the access to fair trade hemp – at reasonable rates.
Hemp fibers are breathable, strong, and they don’t wear down as easily as most of the fabric we use for today’s clothing. Hemp regenerates quickly, and significantly reduces the carbon footprint on an industrial level through many of it’s applications.
8000Kicks is on the front lines of developing ecofriendly shoes from the ground up, all the way through manufacturing and even shipping. These shoes are waterproof, flexible and have a bunch of cool features that we’re going to share below in our interview with the team at 8000Kicks. Let’s go.
Meet 8000Kicks a company harnessing the cannabis plant to offer the world fashion focused, eco friendly kicks.
What are 8000Kicks?
8000kicks are the first waterproof hemp sneakers. We are a sustainable footwear company and we want to make hemp great again.
Tell us more about the 8000Kicks team.
We are an international team. Me, Bernardo, from Portugal, my colleagues from USA, China, Korea.
I was in London and I returned to Portugal to start a business. But I was not sure what.
It all started last year when me and some friends were smoke a joint and someone came up with the idea to make smokeable shoe. It was a stupid idea, but not so much actually. I knew there was stuff being made in Cannabis (hemp), so I knew it was possible and I told the rest of the team. And off we go to buy hemp, a process that lasted months.
What is the inspiration behind hemp based clothing, and why is this important to the team at 8000kicks?
When we started making hemp shoes it was more of a joke product because Cannabis is cool. Until we realized that hemp is not just a cool, bit also eco-friendly and super durable. And that’s when the bulb light popped up and we knew we were doing something big.
Assuming sustainability and lifestyle is driving the movement, what type of lifestyle aligns with the 8000kicks brand and who should make sure they aren’t missing out?
We started making formal shoes. Then we realized we wouldn’t wear then, and that meant change. We are a casual versatile shoe and we want people to know that they are buying a great product that is not only super durable and comfortable but also pushing hemp forward as the new standard. And that is bigger than us. We sell to hippies, business people, farmers, politicians and everyone you could imagine. It is just super interesting as the product appeals to such different folks. But they all believe our project and our mission and that is what connects all.
THE DOPE KICKS
What are the core values driving 8000kicks?
Sustainable products, with superior performance and durability. We want to push hemp great again by making amazing hemp products.
So these are hemp derived shoes – what % of the actual shoes are made with hemp?
The fabric in the upper and the insoles are 100% hemp. The soles are made with algae bloom foam (that’s why it is so light). Then we have some cotton/hemp in the laces and a recycled polyester label.
The box is recycled cardboard and the polybags carrying the shoes are made from corn.
How much of the carbon footprint are we eliminating with these shoes… And how many people need to wear them to make a strong impact on the environment?
Ok, that’s a tricky question. A normal shoe emissions are about 14 to 30kg of CO2. Especially if it’s leather. Our hemp shoe emits about 4.1 KG of CO2, about 70% to 90% less . Although hemp absorbs a lot of CO2 and algae as well, the process of weaving and building the shoe consumes a lot of energy. Also the transportation.
So what we do is to invest in planting hemp and trees. At the same time we are working with our factory to increase the percentage of clean energy sources used (now about 30% to 40%).
Vegan shoes. That’s a cool concept – what exactly are vegan shoes?
Great question. Vegan shoes use no animal products like wool or leather or animal derivative glues (we use a water based glue).
When it comes to durability, we’ve heard that hemp fiber is longer lasting and increased durability compared to other traditional textiles. What’s the scoop on hemps durability when it comes to our kicks, and the looks of the shoes with wear and tear over time?
That’s a great question. They are made to last. But it obviously depends on how people use it. But we estimate at least twice as long as a normal pair of sneakers.
Do hemp fibers add insulation / keep the feet warm, or are they a more breathable option?
That’s a tricky question because it depends on how it’s made and it’s thickness. We built a shoe for the good and the bad weather. A shoe for the sun and the rain. However hemp is really breathable, we made it in a way to insulate from wind and temperature. So it’s perfect for a Canadian spring and autumn, but maybe too cold for the winter. Also, maybe too hot for the portuguese summer, where it gets above the 35C (I just use flip flops on those days 😉 )
What are the core differences in look and feel?
Hemp has a funny touch. It feels a bit harsh on touch. But actually that’s why I love it personally, the material has it’s own character. They also look sturdier, than a normal pair of shoes.
Assuming that price point is keeping big manufacturers from producing hemp based kicks, what is the big hurdle for businesses and why is hemp taking so long to come to market in the fashion seen?
It just takes a lot of time to regain the knowledge and scale our ancestors had in the past. Meaning we are paying really expensive for it now. It’s the start.
Who are 8000kicks perfect for? Athletic wear? Dress? Casual?
We built as a versatile shoe. Casual definitely. We seen farmers using them as well as travellers or politicians.
What is the future of 8000kicks and can we expect to see a long line of styles, seeing your shoes in the mall or are you keeping them exclusive to your distribution?
Definetly. But not for now due to COVID. Also we want to grow slowly but strong.we prefer to have less models but really good ones.
by extract
Chef Travis Peterson Infused Dining Series Interview With Extract Media (Flashback to 2018)
September 16, 2020 in Events, Munchies, Spotlights, Weed
In early 2018 (prelegalization), the Extract Media team was invited to attend a private THC infused culinary experience in Calgary Alberta, Canada hosted by Masterchef contestant Chef Travis Petersen.
The Infused Dining Series is a high quality, 5 course meal at exclusive Air B&B locations across Canada. Travis hosts events, and gives you the opportunity to pick your own location as he frequently travels city to city across Canada offering unique CBD and THC infused dishes.
We recently dipped into the Extract Media vaults to share our very first interview under the Extract brand, and that of course is at our first dining experience with Chef Travis Petersen.
by extract
Cannabis Testing Labs in Canada
September 15, 2020 in Business, Dabs, Products, Tech, Today In Weed, Weed
Test your cannabis. Below we have made a table detailing licensed cannabis testing labs and facilities across Canada in each province that has them. These are labs that are licensed to cannabis research under the Cannabis Act. Health Canada does not offer accrediting services for processes or testing procedures.
Keep in mind all of the cannabis sent in to these laboratories cannot legally be returned after testing. While some of these laboratories test cannabis cultivated by a licensed producer, others offer services to individual cultivators or both.
Check out the complete resource list on the Government of Canada’s licensed testing labs for cannabis list here.
Cannabis Testing Labs in British Columbia
| Licence Holder | Province or Territory | Contact information | Effective Date |
| 0904649 BC Ltd. | British Columbia | 250-591-4372 | 2019-04-05 |
| 1187349 B.C. Ltd. | British Columbia | 519-731-3558 | 2020-03-09 |
| 1248800 B.C. LTD. | British Columbia | 519-731-3558 | 2020-08-27 |
| Anandia Laboratories Inc. | British Columbia | 778-945-8590 | 2018-12-14 |
| Avalite Sciences, Inc. | British Columbia | 604-371-3371 | 2019-02-08 |
| BioCan Technologies Inc. | British Columbia | 403-910-5140 | 2020-03-02 |
| CARO Analytical Services Ltd. | British Columbia | 604-279-1499 | 2020-07-23 |
| Cannevert Therapeutics Ltd. | British Columbia | N/A | 2019-02-04 |
| Canpac Analytical & Research Laboratory Corp. | British Columbia | 604-229-2742 | 2019-12-23 |
| Canvas Labs Ltd. | British Columbia | 604-449-8505 | 2019-04-23 |
| Centre for Applied Research and Innovation – British Columbia Institute of Technology | British Columbia | 604-434-1610 | 2020-06-11 |
| Chemia Analytics Inc. | British Columbia | 1-778-715-5011 | 2019-10-25 |
| Claver Bundac | British Columbia | 909-717-4386 | 2019-11-22 |
| Complex Biotech Discovery Ventures Ltd. | British Columbia | 604-790-9337 | 2020-04-23 |
| Egret Bioscience Ltd. | British Columbia | 604-358-6037 | 2020-09-03 |
| Factors R&D Technologies Ltd. | British Columbia | 250-878-4711 | 2020-03-18 |
| Green Sky Laboratories Corp. | British Columbia | 778-430-5177 ext. 170 | 2019-05-31 |
| Halo Analytics Inc. | British Columbia | 778-751-0232 | 2020-03-02 |
| ISURA | British Columbia | 250-878-4711 | 2020-03-17 |
| Innovate Phytoceuticals Inc. | British Columbia | 778-484-5483 | 2020-01-31 |
| M.B. Laboratories Ltd. | British Columbia | 250-656-1334 | 2020-07-14 |
| Peak Wellness Canada Ltd. | British Columbia | 778-677-7499 | 2020-02-04 |
| ProgenyBio Agricultural Services Inc. | British Columbia | 250-487-8229 | 2018-12-21 |
| Pura Analytical Laboratories Inc. | British Columbia | 250-929-2002 | 2019-08-16 |
| Roger Dyer | British Columbia | 604-875-2418 | 2020-05-14 |
| SGS Canada Inc. | British Columbia | 604-638-2349 | 2019-01-11 |
| Salvation Botanicals Ltd. | British Columbia | 250-591-4372 | 2020-08-20 |
| Supra Research and Development Inc. | British Columbia | 1-877-748-4029 | 2020-01-29 |
| Supra THC Services Inc. | British Columbia | 1-888-470-2469 | 2019-03-08 |
| VSSL Enterprises Ltd. | British Columbia | 604-358-6037 | 2020-02-05 |
| Valens Agritech Ltd. | British Columbia | 778-755-0052 | 2019-01-11 |
| Whistler Therapeutics Corporation | British Columbia | 604-906-0530 | 2020-02-11 |
| Willow Analytics Inc. | British Columbia | 778-945-8862 | 2020-07-13 |
| Zenalytics Laboratories | British Columbia | 236-420-4022 | 2020-04-30 |
Cannabis Testing Labs in Alberta
| Licence Holder | Province or Territory | Contact information | Effective Date |
| Bio-Chem Consulting Services (1980) Ltd. | Alberta | 403-253-7026 | 2019-07-17 |
| CANNZEN LABS LTD. | Alberta | 403-680-9264 | 2020-02-17 |
| InnoTech Alberta Inc. | Alberta | 780-450-5111 | 2020-07-09 |
| Keystone Labs Inc. | Alberta | 587-458-8411 | 2019-01-17 |
| Labs-Mart Inc. | Alberta | 780-469-9009 | 2019-03-29 |
| Olds Softgels Inc. | Alberta | 587-796-0860 | 2020-07-10 |
| PBR Laboratories Inc. | Alberta | 780-450-3957 | 2020-06-22 |
| Quality Analytical Services | Alberta | 403-973-5316 | 2019-09-06 |
| Radient Technologies (Cannabis) Inc. | Alberta | 780-465-1318 | 2020-04-15 |
| Radient Technologies Inc. | Alberta | 780-465-1318 | 2020-04-15 |
| Raimar Loebenberg | Alberta | N/A | 2020-05-07 |
Cannabis Testing Labs in Saskachewan
| Licence Holder | Province or Territory | Contact information | Effective Date |
| Canadian Light Source | Saskatchewan | 306-657-3500 | 2020-01-23 |
| Intertek Testing Services (ITS) Canada Ltd. | Saskatchewan | 306-934-3600 | 2019-03-18 |
| Saskatchewan Research Council, Analytical Laboratory | Saskatchewan | 306-933-5204 | 2019-10-04 |
| Zyus Life Sciences Inc. | Saskatchewan | 306-242-2359 | 2020-02-04 |
Cannabis Testing Labs in Manitoba
| Licence Holder | Province or Territory | Contact information | Effective Date |
| BioScision Pharma Inc. | Manitoba | 204-295-2818 | 2020-09-09 |
| Centre for Oil and Gas Research and Development (COGRAD) | Manitoba | 204-474-8127 | 2019-08-22 |
| Genvion Corporation | Manitoba | 204-663-6160 | 2020-05-07 |
| Nexus Online Solutions Inc. / North Star Laboratories | Manitoba | 204-250-5979 | 2019-04-09 |
| SafeMed Canada Corp. | Manitoba | 204-235-3535 | 2020-09-03 |
| Teewinot Laboratories Inc. | Manitoba | 204-380-3311 | 2019-01-28 |
Cannabis Testing Labs in Ontario
| Licence Holder | Province or Territory | Contact information | Effective Date |
| A&L Canada Laboratories Inc. | Ontario | 519-457-2575 | 2020-07-09 |
| ARA – Avanti Rx Analytics Inc. | Ontario | 416-548-5998 | 2019-01-16 |
| Abide Inc. | Ontario | 647-478-7240 | 2020-06-03 |
| Activation Laboratories Ltd | Ontario | 905-648-9611 | 2019-06-05 |
| Apotex Inc. | Ontario | 905-884-7412 | 2019-04-12 |
| Apotex Inc. | Ontario | 416-675-8389 | 2018-12-14 |
| Argus Laboratory Inc. | Ontario | 416-321-0797 | 2020-02-04 |
| BioPharma Services Inc. | Ontario | 416-747-8484 | 2020-06-22 |
| CREM Co Inc. | Ontario | 289-315-3639 | 2019-11-15 |
| Canadian Clinical Cannabinoids Inc. | Ontario | 416-618-4450 | 2019-09-10 |
| Cannalabs Science Inc. | Ontario | 548-888-2523 | 2020-04-21 |
| Chemi Pharmaceutical Inc. | Ontario | 905-670-7600 | 2020-08-19 |
| Covar Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Ontario | 647-693-3037 | 2020-03-30 |
| Custom Biologics | Ontario | 416-479-3773×101 | 2020-05-20 |
| Diteba Laboratories Inc. | Ontario | 416-399-1665 | 2019-12-06 |
| Dow Testing Services Inc. | Ontario | 613-485-0114 | 2020-03-12 |
| Eurofins Experchem Laboratories, Inc. | Ontario | 416-665-2134 ext. 298 | 2020-06-22 |
| Fume Labs Inc. | Ontario | 204-725-9630 | 2020-02-06 |
| High North Inc. | Ontario | 416-864-6119 | 2019-08-29 |
| Intervivo Solutions Inc. | Ontario | 647-273-1141 | 2020-03-09 |
| Jeremy Y. Lu | Ontario | 416-803-8181 | 2020-08-20 |
| Labstat International Inc. | Ontario | 519-748-5409 | 2018-12-21 |
| Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology | Ontario | 613-969-1913 | 2020-05-26 |
| Lupos (Canada) Biotechnology Inc. | Ontario | 647-686-3986 | 2019-02-01 |
| Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories | Ontario | 905-290-9101 | 2020-02-06 |
| Molecular Science Labs Corp. | Ontario | 416-296-8860 | 2019-02-07 |
| Molecular Science Labs Corp. | Ontario | 416-800-0479 | 2020-06-11 |
| National Reference Standards Service, Drug Analysis Service | Ontario | 416-973-1484 | 2020-08-27 |
| Ontario Water Testing Centre | Ontario | 519-351-8266 | 2019-10-30 |
| Pharma Medica Research Inc. | Ontario | 905-624-9115 | 2019-05-10 |
| Reena Group of Companies Inc. | Ontario | 416-286-3332 | 2020-01-10 |
| SGS Canada Inc. | Ontario | 905-305-0998 | 2020-04-23 |
| SGS Canada Inc. | Ontario | 905-858-8630 | 2020-03-12 |
| Sigma Analytical Services Inc. | Ontario | 647-860-0860 | 2019-11-28 |
| Stephen Reaume (Lambton College) | Ontario | 519-542-7751 ext 3080 | 2019-12-23 |
| SynHiTech Inc. | Ontario | 416-277-7706 | 2020-05-04 |
| Synfine Research Limited | Ontario | 905-737-2702 | 2020-07-23 |
| The Vimy Ridge Group Ltd. | Ontario | 416-438-6727 | 2019-11-08 |
| Toronto Research Chemicals Inc. | Ontario | 416-665-9696 | 2019-01-11 |
| Transpharm Canada Inc. | Ontario | 416-296-8860 | 2020-07-22 |
| Tweed Inc. | Ontario | 1-855-55- TWEED (558-9333) | 2020-08-12 |
| University of Guelph | Ontario | 519-824-4120 | 2020-03-26 |
| Validationtech Inc. | Ontario | 416-857-7603 | 2020-07-23 |
| Vivariant Laboratories Inc. | Ontario | 647-244-0334 | 2019-08-22 |
| Weed Me Inc. | Ontario | 866-410-4040 | 2020-01-10 |
| Wyndham Forensic Group | Ontario | 519-822-9344 | 2019-12-06 |
| Zollaris Laboratories Corporation | Ontario | 647-494-7227 | 2020-05-26 |
Cannabis Testing Labs in Quebec
| Licence Holder | Province or Territory | Contact information | Effective Date |
| AGAT Laboratories Ltd. | Quebec | 514-337-1032 | 2018-12-28 |
| Agilent Technologies Canada Inc. | Quebec | 289-290-3966 | 2020-02-13 |
| Airgraft Inc. | Quebec | 514-887-5000 | 2020-08-27 |
| Alpharmco Ltée | Quebec | 514-690-3487 | 2020-06-18 |
| Altasciences Company Inc. / Altascience Compagnie Inc. | Quebec | 450-973-3155 ext. 4329 | 2019-05-24 |
| AxxonLab Inc. | Quebec | 514-819-9110 | 2019-03-08 |
| Cannalyst Pharma Inc. | Quebec | 514-515-4905 | 2020-03-26 |
| Ccrest Laboratories (A Division of Europharm International Canada Inc.) | Quebec | 514-324-1073 | 2019-04-25 |
| Centre National en Électrochimie et en Technologies Environnementales | Quebec | 819-539-8508 | 2020-05-20 |
| Collège D’Enseignement Générale et Professionnel (CÉGEP) de Trois-Rivières | Quebec | 819-376-5075 | 2020-02-13 |
| Exka Inc. | Quebec | 514-974-0099 | 2020-01-24 |
| Groupe Eurofin/EnvironeX | Quebec | 514-451-8529 | 2020-02-21 |
| Jean-Michel Lavoie | Quebec | 819-434-2088 | 2020-07-13 |
| Laboratoire PhytoChemia Inc. | Quebec | 581-306-1230 | 2020-06-25 |
| Laboratoires KABS Inc./ KABS Laboratoires Inc. | Quebec | 450-656-4404 | 2019-06-12 |
| Laboval Inc. | Quebec | 514-633-6826 | 2019-06-21 |
| Les Laboratoires Maska Inc. | Quebec | 450-261-1468 | 2020-03-06 |
| MS Pharma Inc. | Quebec | 450-681-1132 | 2019-01-18 |
| Neopharm Labs Inc. | Quebec | 450-435-8864 | 2019-05-24 |
| Nordion (Canada) Inc. | Quebec | 514-697-6196 | 2019-07-11 |
| Paraza Pharma Inc. | Quebec | 514-337-7200 | 2020-05-20 |
| Pathogenia Inc. | Quebec | 514-446-6500 | 2019-11-22 |
| Pharmascience Inc. | Quebec | 514-340-9800 | 2020-08-31 |
| Syneos Health Clinique Inc. | Quebec | 418-527-4000 | 2020-02-21 |
| TetraGenx Animal Health ULC | Quebec | 514-335-3838 | 2020-03-19 |
Cannabis Testing Labs in New Brunswick
| Licence Holder | Province or Territory | Contact information | Effective Date |
| C-Therm Technologies Ltd. | New Brunswick | 506-457-1515 | 2019-11-29 |
| New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council (RPC) | New Brunswick | 506-452-1229 | 2020-06-18 |
Cannabis Testing Labs in Prince Edward Island
| Licence Holder | Province or Territory | Contact information | Effective Date |
| Canadian Centre for Cannabis Research Ltd. | Prince Edward Island | 902-367-4409 | 2019-06-26 |
| Dosecann LD Inc. | Prince Edward Island | 902-370-0420 | 2019-01-11 |
| F.T.C Enterprises Ltd. | Prince Edward Island | 902-368-5548 | 2020-02-11 |
Cannabis Testing Labs in Nova Scotia
| Licence Holder | Province or Territory | Contact information | Effective Date |
| Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc. | Nova Scotia | 902-896-8782 | 2020-06-11 |
Cannabis Testing Labs in Newfoundland & Labrador
by extract
DaVinci IQ2 Review – Herb & Extract Vaporizer
September 4, 2020 in Dabs, Products, Tech, Weed
DaVinci is a word that’s synonymous with creativity and complex engineering. Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the greatest painters of all time, of course famous for the Mona Lisa; but there’s something less seem to know about him, DaVinci was also a coveted engineer. Working with the military, DaVinci was involved with massive projects with the likes of designing tanks and submarines. Anything with a lot of internal moving parts, gears and geometric designs, DaVinci was interested in understanding each and every working part of modern day machines. This way he could use the knowledge to apply working parts from different projects together, forming new inventions, technological advancements and a level of creativity that was completely new to the world.
DaVinci’s legacy lives on today through his art, designs and the inspiration for pushing the boundaries in modern day technology.
We recently linked up with DaVinci Vaporizer, a true testament to beautiful design, state of the art technology and an experience for cannabis connoisseurs that has evolved into offering one of the best hand held extract and flower vaporizers on the market in 2020.
Meet the DaVinci IQ2.
In This DaVinci IQ2 Review:
- What’s in the Box?
- Dimensions & Specs
- Charger & Battery
- Ease of Use
- Hoot Review
- Durability
- Main Features
- Perfect For / Pros & Cons / TLDR
The Davinci IQ2 is a new “dual use” hand held vaporizer, meaning that it works for dry herb and extracts.
DaVinci is focused on the high quality associated with every part of the vaporizer, and that means you get the total experience when you join the DaVinci family. The IQ2 vaporizer unit itself is durable and all the components are built inside a sturdy aluminum casing with a weight that definitely emphasizes it’s rugged abilities. In some contexts a heavier unit can symbolize durability, and that definitely comes to play here.
The DaVinci IQ2 vaporizer has no loose or overhanging parts. All of the dials, mouth piece and switches are tightly tucked in, or flush with the units body, so no worries about hitting buttons or breaking anything when it’s in your pocket or purse.
Variable temperature and airflow settings are somewhat standard on most hand held vaporizers now of days, but IQ2 takes it a step further in the details than other brands seem to focus on. DaVinici is all about innovative design and user experience, and that really shows in their latest release, the IQ2. Let’s dive into some of their main features and specs so you can learn a little more about this device that packs a massive amount of features into a little hand held casing.
DaVinci IQ2 | Clean, Cool, Control
Device For
- Herbs (0.5 g / bowl)
- Concentrates (0.2 g / bow
Battery
- Type 18650 battery
- Replaceable & rechargable
- 60 minutes of usage / battery
- 6 hours full charging time
- 30 seconds heat up tim
Main Features
- 5 levels of airflow
- Smart LED screen
- Dosage app
- Glass air tight air path
- 10mm bong attachment
- Easily swap from herb to extracts
Inside the DaVinci IQ2 Box:
Let’s start this unboxing with the quality and design that went into the packaging. Unwrapping and opening this box was nothing short of opening a gift on Christmas. Inside comes a high quality leather case that resembles opening a Rolex watch. Inside this box is where all the goodies are revealed – a DaVinci USB stick, herb container, herb grinder, and a well designed box containing our new DaVinci IQ2 vape.
The IQ2 box itself comes all the instructions needed to easily get started using your vape, a guide to register the 10 year warranty, the vaporizer unit itself, a dosage pod to insert concentrates and cannabis, the 10mm bong attachment, a charger that works on any USB connection, a few cleaning tools, a pick tool for restocking your pod, and a concentrate kit that allows you to interchange from buds to extracts in seconds.
- Davinci IQ2 Vaporizer
- USB Stick
- Herb Grinder
- Herb Jar
- Herb Cartridge
- Herb Cartridge Holder
- Concentrate Pads
- Dab Tool / Pick Tool
- Instructions
- USB Charger
- Warranty Setup
- 10mm Bong Adapter (Great for a mouthpiece as well)
Battery & Charger
The DaVinci IQ uses a Type 18650 battery that’s interchangable, rechargeable and uses your traditional micro b charger that plugs into most phones and vaporizer units today. It’s far to common that handheld vaporizer units have a built in battery that can’t be replaced, and while the battery is typically covered with a manufacturers warranty, any failure can take your unit out for weeks. This isn’t the case for the IQ2. Type 18650 batteries are readily available on the internet ranging from $12 – $40 CAD, so in the event something happens to your battery, just pop it out and insert a new one.
The micro b charger is another benefit of this unit. As mentioned above, this connection is standard with most rechargable devices today, so should you forget your charger somewhere, there’s most likely a cable within arms reach that you can use to charge this unit. The USB connector to these types of cables ensures that in 2020, there’s a docking station near you at all times given that you have a computer, TV, dock to plug it into, or any device with a USB connection.
A full charge time of roughly 6 hours gives you a full hour of usage time – and we put this to the test and it’s true. If you are using lower temperatures, your get far more life from one charge. The unit goes to sleep between hoots, so you can ensure that when you take a pull and put it down, the unit isn’t wasting any power, and begins to power itself down as the SMART LED display will notify. The IQ2 seems to have a sensor that knows when you’re taking a pull from the vape and uses the LED screen to help track the length of your inhalation.
Turning the IQ2 on and off takes a simple 5 clicks. Once on, you are prompted to choose 1 of 4 preset temperatures, although the unit also offers a precision mode, in which you can actually choose the exact temperature you desire, we will get more into these features below. The team at DaVinci is all about user experience, and when that comes to the battery, it works fast, heating the oven up in a mere 30 seconds, so you can have a hoot quickly and avoid the waiting times that are found with competitors.
DaVinci Makes Getting Started Easy
The DaVinci team has gone all in on the IQ2 tutorials and instructions available in and on the boxes, as well as an active video support through their YouTube channel, and that has to tell you something. DaVinci is keen on having you try the DaVinci IQ2 and in order to make that experience better, they’ve really perfected every step of the way so you can get the most out of your vaporizer.
The DaVinci YouTube channel is a massive resource for owners of this unit. I’m not saying it’s tough to learn how to use each feature, but it’s nice when there is a simple and quick video to help you use each feature the correct way. DaVinci hasn’t missed a beat with this. Everything to packing the unit with material, through cleaning, or how to get massive clouds, there’s a video for everything.
DaVinici offers a 10 year manufacturers warranty, as well great support staff that respond quickly to any questions. We will dig a little more into the warranty below, but when you’re buying a unit for longevity, you want to know the company is there for you, and DaVinci has really made this apparent through out process.
Durability
Durability is a massive consideration when purchasing a portable vaporizer, and the DaVinci IQ2 was made with durability in mind from it’s materials through the design and warranty. For the last 3 weeks I’ve had the DaVinci IQ2 with me the whole time and it looks as good as new. After a few drops (as per usual), bouncing around in the change container of my car and steady daily usage, everything is working as normal and the outside casing remains flawless.
The general design of the IQ2 hides loose odds and ends, tucking them inside or flush with the unit. While the buttons stick out slightly, they are tight and not easily pressed in a pocket or purse. The lack of loose odds and ends sticking out of the vaporizer tends to mean the less chance of something breaking and that’s a big plus 1 here.
Hoot Review
The IQ2 was designed based on improvements from the original IQ device and it shows. From top to bottom, this vaporizer is engineered around the perfect hoot quality, ensuring no undesirables are exposed to your vapor. While some units on the market have failed in this area, the IQ2 directs your inhalation through an airtight air path made of ceramic walls and zirconia parts. Removing exposure to heated metallic and plastic elements means you’re getting a cleaner vapor, you will notice this right away.
Using the adjustable airflow, adjustable temperature (to the degree), and the application that helps control temps of your device based on the herbs you are burning, the potential to get what you want out of the material you are using is nearly 100%.
If you didn’t know, each cannabinoid and each terpene is released at a specific temperature, and none of them are usually the same. That means if you’re looking for a better tasting hoot, you might want to burn your buds a certain temperature, while getting the maximum potential of the THC inside might require using a different temperate.
DaVinci has perfected the vaporizer hoot, and i’m a true believer that the airtight air path, air flow control, and completely customizable heating temps give the user what I would define as the perfect hoot, both for extracts and flower.
When it comes to hand held vaporizers, one of the concerns for avid smokers is that it wont “hit as hard” as a standalone vape or bong. The DaVinci team has included a handful of features to combat this, and their “boost mode” makes sure the device is giving you more than enough power at anytime to that mega hoot you needed. Boost mode is easy, just press and hold the main control button on the side and you’re flying.
Main Features of The DaVinci IQ2
Clean. Cool. Control.
Temp Control
The DaVinci IQ2 covers all grounds when it comes to the perfect temperature control. There’s a lot of hand held vaporizer options on the market, but not as many with a digital display of the exact temperature at all times. As mentioned above, this is important to ensure you are vaporizing the correct terpenes and cannabinoids, and it works.
The perfect temperature is achieved with three buttons on the side that allow you to choose from 4 pre determined temperatures, or dial in the heat to a specific degree (Precision Mode) with a few clicks. Precision mode is key for understanding the perfect temperature as each extract and herb will react to heat differently. Each step of the way, the smart LED screen keeps you in the loop to let you know where it’s at.
DaVinci has incorporated both Fahrenheit and Celsius temps to cater this experience to everyone, no matter which region you live. It’s easy to adjust and with a few clicks you can set the ceramic oven to any temperature you desire without doing the conversions yourself.
Smart LED Display
A smart LED display lets you know everything that’s happening on the unit at all times, it’s honestly like a little computer. It’s a great display, and I have no complaints. Little holes in the metal casing ensure that there’s no screen to smash and your LED will keep working even after it’s in your purse or pocket rubbing up against other things.
The DaVinci LED’s cool blue lights show an abundance of device information and doubles as a screen to adjust the features offered by the IQ2. It’s perfect for letting you know the battery life, the current temperature and if the unit is currently heating up or cooling down. Users can adjust the light display for brightness, use it to swap between Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures as mentioned above and enjoy complete control of all aspects of the IQ2 at any given time.
Flower & Extracts All At Once
Perhaps my favorite attribute of the DaVinci IQ2 is the ease of going back and forth between extracts and flower. It’s easy, require little adjustment and even lets you combine both. For this review we used some dense flower, shatter and terp sauce; all separately, and a nice salad mixed together.
I have to say, I’ve honestly never experienced shatter and terp sauce with the same quality as through the DaVinci IQ2. I am an avid dabber that typically uses a bong and titanium nail combination, and the difference is immense. I’m being honest when I say that my titanium nail is now put away, and I solely use this device in replace of my typical dab setup. This device is made for quality of hoot and it shows with the change in taste and flavor with every pull, and it’s definitely noticeable. If you want to taste the true flavor of your buds and concentrates, this is where you find it.
By popping open the bottom of the unit, a glass lined ceramic oven is exposed. This is where you insert a little cartridge filled with the good stuff when you’re ready to go. All material for vaping requires you to load the little herb cartridge and pop it into the oven. When the unit is open, you will see the pearl that helps to compact and evenly vaporize your herbs or extracts.
To vape herbs, simply grind up your material and pack it tightly in the cartridge. Place the lid on, the cartridge in the oven and you’re ready to go.
To vape concentrates, we add a step. Inside your box comes 9 concentrate pads and a little top rubber stopper – These will ensure your device doesn’t get too messy. When you’re packing extracts, add the white concentrate pads to the bottom of the cartridge, or place a little bit of bud instead. Pop the rubber stopper on top and you’re ready to go.
Adjustable Airflow With The New Air Dial
A new air dial is tucked tightly to the bottom of the DaVinci IQ2. This is a new feature DaVinci has added and really comes in handy depending on the material you’re vaping. Some buds come denser than others, likewise extracts can melt down in a weird way. Allowing air flow through the unit that users can change helps you deal with stickier substances and keep the air flowing through the oven, while delivering a clean, cool hoot, one that DaVinci claims is 50% cooler than other vaporizers.
While Air Flow is important for dialing in your material, it also helps deliver a cool hoot to your lungs. Often, hand held vaporizers deliver a strain shot from the bowl to your lungs, and this can cause discomfort, lack of vapor quality and even burn your lungs – drying them out and causing health problems over time. These situations are all avoided with the IQ2 by adding a degree of fresh air to the process, giving your vapor the exposure it needs to cool down before entering your airway.
A number of different settings placed at the bottom of the vape allow you to play with the controls while inhaling comfortably. There is no perfect setting, so you will have to get a feel for what works with your setup, but we guarantee this will come in handy.
10mm Bong Adapter
Bong adapters are awesome. Everyone loves a bong hoot here and there, and with DaVinci it’s made easy with rubber adapters that let you pop pieces in and out in seconds.
By flipping open the top lid you expose the mouthpiece and battery. Simply push the stock mouth piece inwards, and you will see that it comes out easily with a rubber seal to ensure airflow remains strong after doing this multiple times. Inside the box is your bong adapter, and you insert it the same way the stock piece comes out. By closing the lid you now have a bong or bubbler attachment that in my opinion doubles as a comfortable mouth piece.
I love that DaVinci incorporated this feature as the unit itself is designed so comfortably in the palm that it’s easy to give your IQ2 a power boost while taking a bong hoot and you don’t need to bend you hand or wrist in weird motions. This is a process that had to be considered in the design process. It’s comfortable and works well for big pulls. The Air Dial mentioned comes in handy when using this attachment.
App Control & Tracking
Dosage control is something that is non existent in the vaporizer world today unless you’re manually entering the numbers in to a spread sheet, and who wants to do that? Believe it or not, your DaVinci IQ2 device has an app that comes with it, and it’s ready to pair via BlueTooth to help you understand more about your consumption.
For those who know what they want or need to control the amount of THC ingested at any given time, this app will help you do just that. By plugging in the amount of herb or extracts you’re using through your phone, your IQ2 device will track and notify you when you’ve reached your desired consumption levels.
Everyone can understand the term “creeper weed”. Cannabis that has a little delayed onset is common, and when you have future plans with your day it’s important to know where you’re at. The IQ2 does all this for you. This feature is unmatched by any competitor on the market with such a user friendly experience, not to mention the notifications and real time interaction between your device and it’s app.
This is a feature that is surely to come in handy for new cannabis consumers getting a feel for just how much is too much. With legal cannabis in Canada bringing an abundance of first comers to cannabis, it is this app and device that is going to protect you from over doing it, or help you understand the levels of THC that are perfect for you, and that comes with a pricetag that is invaluable.
Amazing 10 Year Warranty
The DaVinci IQ2 comes with a 10 year warranty that will work for the original purchaser of the unit. Such a sought after device comes with it’s counterfeits and fakes, so DaVinci requires that you register yours when it arrives. The process is super simple and the box comes with instructions of how to do so. If you register within 30 days, should something go wrong, your shipping is completely covered by DaVinci.
According to Davinci’s website, the warranty works: against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of up to ten (10) years from the date of retail purchase from an authorized DAVINCI retailer. This warranty is applicable to the original purchaser and is nontransferable.
Overall the warranty applies to the regular use of everything minus accessories. This includes regular wear of the batteries and protects you against anything that shouldn’t happen or appears to be a manufacturers defect.
Overall Thoughts & Who The DaVinci IQ2 Is Perfect For
This is my favorite part of these reviews, I feel when I’m done reading most product reviews, I’m always left with the question, is this for me? Well this one is easy, the DaVinci IQ2 offers a little something for everyone. Why? Let’s dive in.
I’m an avid cannabis consumer, and have been for the last 15+ years. I have a good feel for what the connoisseur wants out of a vaporizer, and this is it. Complete control, absolutely perfect vapor, a basic LED screen to help you understand what’s happening with the device, a bong attachment for when you have a glass piece around, and the ability to take massive hoots. When you’re hooting clean vapor, it makes the experience that much better, and with regular users it’s far easier to gauge the impurities to your pull. This is a device for cannabis users that have been smoking or vaping for decades.
It’s also a device for the noobs, and to be honest I would recommend this product alone for those stepping into cannabis today. Why? The control, and the tracking. Of course, all the other features cater to the experience as well, but these two features will help you know and understand your personal usage, something that is new to cannabis as a whole in 2020 and what the connoisseurs had to learn by trial and error. With the app tracking there’s no reason to over consume, or so called “green out” and you can get a feel for what works for you. I think knowing your dosage is #1 when it comes to experiencing the great effects that come with cannabis.
All of the user focused and useful features packed into the DaVinci IQ2 makes this a vaporizer perfect for anyone whether you’re kicking it in your house or on the go. The weight to this unit makes it a little uncomfortable in tight jeans or sweats, but it works. In my opinion, this is a vape best for someone carrying a satchel, murse, purse or for in the car.
The DaVinci IQ2 is easy to charge and has a decent lifespan to each charge so it’s perfect for on the go playing sports, attending a festival or any event really, a smooth hoot without the smell that comes with smoking herbs on breaks at work or school, really anywhere you’re on the go.
A real decision hits the consumer when you have to choose between extract and flower vaporizers. The fact that you can mix and match or swap between herbs and concentrates so seamlessly makes the IQ2 an industry leader. As I mentioned in the hoot review, after 15+ years of smoking and vaping I feel as though this is the first time I’ve had the true, perfect taste to a shatter hoot. Coils, metal and plastic parts added to cheap options on the market taint the flavor of your vape pull in most occasions, but with the IQ2 this is not the case. If you’re looking for a vaporizer that will deliver when it comes to cleanliness and hoot quality, you have your winner right here.
Visit the DaVinci shop here, or check out their YouTube channel to learn more about their vaporizers and other products here.
Pros
- Durable aluminum case
- Swap between extracts and herb at the same time or separately quick
- Sleek and visually appealing
- Comfortable mouthpiece
- Snap in dial makes head setting stay in place nicely
- Buttons are tight and good quality
- Adjustable to nearly any setting you want for any type of buds
- Dosage app makes it perfect for beginners
- The cleanest hoot on the market
- Great smart LED display
- Quick turn on and heat up time
- Water bong adapter – 10mm adapter for bongs also doubles as a very nice mouth piece
- Warranty
Cons
- A little on the heavier side
- Battery life a little low on high temps
- A little play with the pod in the oven
Check out our cannabis gift guide for more gift ideas, or visit the best electric dab rig here.
by extract
Weed On Instagram. Here’s What You Need To Do To Stop Getting Banned
August 14, 2020 in Business, Dabs, Opinion, Tech, Today In Weed, Weed
Instagram bans are the worst, and if you’re running a cannabis themed account, you’ve probably experienced them. At Extract we’ve been through our fair share, and it’s not worth wasting your time with a profile that doesn’t follow Instagram’s terms of service, because they will get you eventually, and sometimes, the ban becomes a deleted profile, which means good bye all your hard work.
Now we’ve seen witch hunts on Instagram with cannabis accounts blaming other accounts for reports, and while that might be the case in some situations, you’re going to be pretty surprised to see the power behind Instagram’s image detection.
You can see Instagram’s image detection at work on loading, and it displays a text assumed description of the image stored in the meta information, and displayed briefly in place of the image upon loading in some browsers. Check out the 2024 guide of how to not get banned on Instagram.
Instagram’s Object & Text Detection
It’s really hard to find accurate information regarding this program to be honest. From what I can see, the image may contain portion is analyzing images for objects and text. As seen in our photos, it’s very accurate, and it’s pretty much 100% correct in the screenshots we took. From here Instagram seems to categorize your images with the corresponding meta info. Cannabis is undoubtedly categorized as a plant, also coming up with nature and outdoors. This is a pretty impressive feat as images are historically complicated to decipher in comparison to text documents. And keep in mind, this is all that’s visible from the front end.
This combined with your hashtags, comments and post text, your username, profile bio, makes it extremely easy for Instagram’s AI to understand what you’re posting. And this is a learning computer. There’s a good chance it’s new to the Cannabis Act, and it probably makes a shit ton of mistakes.
How Not To Get Banned
So here’s how you don’t get banned. Learn and understand the terms of service regarding marijuana:
What is Instagram’s policy on the sale of marijuana?
Instagram doesn’t allow people or organizations to use the platform to advertise or sell marijuana, regardless of the seller’s state or country. Our policy prohibits any marijuana seller, including dispensaries, from promoting their business by providing contact information like phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses, or by using the “contact us” tab in Instagram Business Accounts. However, we do allow people to include a website link in their bio information.
Instagram’s policy on marijuana
Instagram Weed Do’s
- Fill out a good bio
- Add your website
- Use posts effectively
Instagram Weed Don’ts
- No Phone Number
- No Email
- No Street Addresses
- No Contact Us Tabs
- Include prices in posts
- Use a lot of “buy” terms
- Use cannabis or terms you think might trigger something
by extract
Keep It Greasy: Extract Magazine Talks Lubrication & Hemp Oil With Lid Lube
August 4, 2020 in Business, Products, Weed
We’ve seen Lid Lube around for quite some time now and we have to say that logo is getting pretty familiar around Canada. What is Lid Lube for those who don’t know?
First of all thank you for the opportunity here with Extract Mag! We really appreciate your time allowing us to share our story with you and your readers.
Lid Lube is a 100% Cold Pressed and Filtered Canadian Hemp Seed Oil lubricant for your sticky and squeaky herb grinder.
Simply apply a drop to the male edge of your grinder, attach the lid and spin. That’s it! Your grinder will spin like new, instantly. Lid Lube works on metal, plastic and wooden grinders and even grinders that are completely stuck. Finally a natural solution to this timeless problem.
How long have you guys been around, how did it start, where is Lid Lube based out of?
Lid Lube is a family run small business and we operate just outside of Vancouver BC and we have been officially in business for just about 2 years now.
I came up with the idea after herniating a disc in my neck serving in the Canadian Forces. I used to take a significant amount of pharmaceutical drugs after the incident. Seeking an alternative to the pharma cocktail I found CBD in 2017. It helped me unbelievably and led me to immediately drop the pills. Unfortunately it was all still in flower form from my LP so I ended up grinding, A LOT. My grinder would get stuck and squeaky and it would drive me nuts! I couldn’t find anything online to help fix the problem without totally stripping down and cleaning or scraping my grinder with a knife or something else I could stab myself with. I would put some hemp oil on my finger and spread it on the grinder in the early days. A friend came over and filled his vape pen with the same style bottle we currently use here at Lid Lube and that was the day it all clicked and the journey began!
Lid Lube is made with Hemp Seed Oil correct? How does this help lubricate buster type devices and is it pure oil or is there any proprietary steps we don’t know about?
The great thing about our lube is that it is cold pressed and filtered hemp seeds and that is absolutely it. No chemicals, no dyes, nothing. Just pure and natural Canadian hemp seed oil. Lid Lube helps alleviate your sticky grinder by creating a low viscosity medium between the grinder body and lid. As your herbs get shredded up they deposit a small amount of resins and plant matter inside the grinding chamber. This plant matter gets squished and worked over and over creating a bulge or high viscosity area and that’s what makes your grinder squeaky and get stuck.
Why is Hemp oil Important or a better lubricant than other popular oils on the market?
Lid Lube is natural, effective and made in Canada. A significant feature to Lid Lube is the bottle itself. With its firm plastic and thin tip it allows a very accurate and measured application to whatever you are lubing. Many oils on the market are impure and not as effective as Lid Lube due to either high or low viscosity. Some oils are simply to runny or thick to be effective. Also, by extracting the oil from seeds already harvested we can ensure a sustainable and ecologically friendly product with less waste. We use a biodegradable label on our bottles and are working towards a hemp plastic bottle to have all aspects of Lid Lube utilizing the wonder plant that is hemp.
Is this hemp oil refined or unrefined and what is the difference between the two?
Our hemp oil is unrefined and is completely free of additives. Unrefined hemp oil is essentially a high volume of seeds that are inserted into a cold press and squeezed at an ambient temperature below 40 degrees Celsius. After the oil has been extracted from the seeds it enters a filtering system and is filtered as required. Refined hemp oils are extracted and boiled to destroy all the healthy and natural benefits present in a cold pressed and unrefined oil. After the oil is boiled and broken down other chemicals are added based on its intended application. We actually have a short video speaking about this very subject on our website at www.lidlube.com.
What types of grinders will Lid Lube lubricate the best, and who should have Lid Lube handy?
Lid Lube works on any plastic, wood or metal grinders on the market. Lid Lube can be used day one on a fresh new grinder to ensure it is working the best it can right out of the box. Or take Lid Lube to a friends place to finally unlock and resurrect a sentimental old grinder. Who knows what you might find hiding in such a time capsule.
Lid Lube is the best product to lube up your stuck accessories, period.
Its effectiveness can change the whole tone of a session. There is nothing worse than trying to grind up, the lid becoming stuck and then prying it off to drop it and have the whole compartment spill onto the ground. I mean, I have been there and I don’t wish that on anyone and imagine what your friends would say! Lid Lube can be applied to all the sections of your grinder to help it open and close with ease.
This would probably also work for a number of other products outside of busters! Have you managed to find some common household uses for Lid Lube that aren’t really marketed?
We have had some really interesting stories come about with the alternative uses of Lid Lube. We recommend that it be used externally on accessories as intended but our customers have used it on stuck game parts, bike chains, door hinges, cupboard hinges, hair clippers, downspouts, and self care just to name a few.
The other option would be cleaning your buster. When should someone use Lid Lube and when should they be cleaning their devices?
This is such a great question and one we encounter regularly! You should always clean your grinder! Get the iso out, grab a toothbrush, and save your kief catch.
Lid Lube is to be used in conjunction with regular cleaning. But some people just don’t like to clean their grinders, especially if they’re on the economical side of things. Lid Lube helps a lot with extending the life of your grinder and one bottle goes a very long way. People with grinders of much higher valued at $150+ tend to clean their grinders a lot more regularly in my experience so Lid Lube does not have to be applied as often but does greatly increase their function.
Does Lid Lube hold industrial uses that might be practical in the larger scale cannabis extraction, production and cultivation facilities?
We have been exploring many new ideas and uses for Lid Lube. We cant go into to much detail but we are exploring some more uses for both cold pressed unrefined and refined hemp oils across many applications. Hemp is a remarkable gift of this earth and new uses are being explored everyday. Keep an eye out for some really cool stuff coming down the pipe from us here at Lid Lube.
Where can we grab Lid Lube?
Lid Lube grinder lubricant along with grinders, funny t-shirts and videos about hemp, food and hiking can be found on our website www.LidLube.com. Please check it out and snoop around! Alternatively, Lid Lube can be found on Amazon Prime and we are ever expanding into more shops and wholesalers throughout the world. If any of your readers are interested in carrying Lid Lube they can reach out to me at Richard@lidlube.com. We also offer co labelling for promotions and companion products.
We want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us thus far. It is amazing and you are making a families dreams come true. So thank you.
I noticed you accept Litecoin and Bitcoin on the site. has anyone been using crypto for purchases lately? We love cryptocurrencies at Extract, we’re actually in the middle of publishing a few guides – can you tell the readers why you accept crypto and what drop the decision?
I love that you noticed! I have been a follower and fan of Bitcoin and Dogecoin for about 5 years now. I truly believe Bitcoin to be a significant addition to the global financial system primarily due to the open ledger, fixed supply and cost effectiveness of transferring funds. As Bitcoin grows and global financial systems flex and adjust, it will maintain a solid globally stable commodity. A gold standard for the global digital age maybe? Unfortunately, we have not had any purchases yet with any crytocurrency but we always want to leave the option on the table for any of our fellow bag hodlers.
Can Extract readers have a coupon code?
I would be more than happy to share a coupon code with the readers here as a huge thank you for taking the time to read a bit about our beloved Lid Lube. We spend a lot of time together as a family making this product the best we can for our customers and it means the world to us that people care and are really enjoying our hard work. So let me say thanks where it counts, your wallet, and use LIDLUBE15 at checkout on our website www.lidlube.com for 15% off your entire order. BOOM.
by extract
Email Services That Work for Cannabis Businesses in Canada
August 4, 2020 in Business, Tech
If you’ve ran an email campaign for a Canadian cannabis brand, you understand the struggle. If you’re just getting started with your first email strategy, welcome to a world bound by terms of service. Cannabis focused companies and organizations are extremely limited when it comes to who will offer them services, and that includes email service companies like Mailchimp, Benchmark Email, and a handful of others.
Traditionally, navigating all of these services takes a lot of time, and at Extract we’ve personally had our issues with a few platforms as a cannabis brand. To save you some time, we dipped in to the world of email marketing services and made an email marketing service comparison chart so you can save yourself some time and avoid frozen accounts, lost contacts or legal issues.
Cannabis Friendly Email Marketing Services
| Email Service | Templates | Features | Free Service | Integrations |
| Mailerlite | Yes | Advanced analytics, team management with multiple roles, manage multiple domains under one dashboard |
Up to 12000 emails free, 1000 contacts $11.99 monthly for next package
|
|
| Benchmark Mailing | Yes | Lots of templates, easy to setup, drag and drop email customization, quality analytics |
Up to 250 emails free, unlimited contacts, $10 monthly for next package
|
|
| Automizy | Yes | Smart metrics, personalized emails, subscriber management, website behaviour tracking, suject line tester, subject line generator |
Free all access trial, $9 monthly for next package
|
|
| Klaviyo | Yes | Email and SMS marketing, ROI reporting, personalized email features | Up to 250 emails free, $20 monthly for next package |
Big Commerce, Magento, Commerce Cloud, Shopify, Shopify PLUS, Woocommerce
|
| Omni Send | Yes | Email and SMS marketing, cross selling features, automatic order follow up | Up to 15,000 emails free |
Shopify, Shopify PLUS, Magento, Big Commerce, WooCommerce
|
| Dot Digital | Yes |
by extract
How To Use Citations and Blacklinks To Grow Your Cannabis Business Online
July 29, 2020 in Business, Tech
What are Citations
Citations help Google, Bing, Duck Duck Go and other search engines index business information for customers. In order for search engines to learn about your business accurately, they scrape the internet for consistent information about your business, and bring it all together to influence search results when a consumer is using a search engine.
Citation websites refer to those that publish critical business information such as hours of operation, location, contacts, areas of service, categories of products and more. These are key pieces of information that helps Google with regional results and essentially putting businesses that add value and align with the searchers inquiry. Citations are an important resource that Google and other search engines need to differentiate businesses servicing all Canadians, vs a specific city, local retailers vs international eCommerce businesses and more. It’s important to have consistent information across all your citations to keep it simple for search engine crawlers.
The more local citations you build from quality websites and quality website pages, the more progress you will see as your website grows and finds better position in the search results.
Keep in mind, citations come after you have optimized your internal content. While theses are indicators your website offers value, that’s only a piece of the pie. Your website content should be up to standard in order to grow closer to that #1 position on search engines. To learn more about this, check out our internal optimization guide for cannabis businesses here, the link will pop up as we publish.
Building a backlink profile
Picture citations like this. Each website holds a different set value of equity that can either positively impact or negatively impact your website. The higher value equity has the higher potential to benefit your rankings, if the information, region and your content categorically align. As a website links to your website and brand, that equity flows to your website, so whatever value that is, impacts your importance to Google. If the website linking to you is also linking to 100 other websites, that’s 100 leaks, diluting the impact that will flow to yours. This equity flow continues on to your website, but we will cover that in the internal SEO guide for cannabis businesses in a later article.
Follow vs No follow links: There is a few different types of links, but two that are very different are the follow vs nofollow link. These can be checked by right clicking on a link, and looking at the <a href rel=”nofollow” or rel=”follow” link. It is said that nofollow links do not pass equity, but are still indicators for search engines. Try to build a link profile that has a high number of quality follow and nofollow links.
Local Citations
MOZ breaks down local citations into 3 types of website:
- Major local – Major local citations make up the industry leading international and nation directories / databases such as Bing Places, Google My Business, Yelp, Yellow Pages etc.
- Geo & industry specific – These are smaller niche citations based on category or region. These are easily found by searching terms such as “marijuana directories” “cannabis directories” “dispensary directories” or similar searches. Likewise, “Toronto dispensary directories” “Vancouver business database” etc. We have built a list of over 250 citations for local cannabis businesses in Canada, to keep it quick.
- Wider Web – The wider web refers to supporting links from other media publications, press websites, databases such as ours here at Extract, social media profiles, and other news or blog publications.
Basic Tips For Building Citations & Backlinks
- Seek out citations that align with the theme of your website: ie. if your website is marijuana related, marijuana directories might be a good idea.
- Seek out local citations. If you’re in Canada, that means websites ending in .ca, or other top level domains focused in the region you offer services.
- PA (Page Authority) and DA (Domain Authority) are two important metrics. The higher these are, the bigger potential to positively benefit your website, pending your regions and themes align.
- The success of the website linking to you is nearly as important as the strength of your website. You want high quality links pointing, not a whole bunch of low quality citations from websites that have no authority. It’s in your best interest to promote and share pages pointing to your website as your website itself.
- One citation from a quality cannabis directory will impact your website far more positively than 100 citations from new, low ranking citations that aren’t cannabis themed, or don’t have categories for the cannabis industry.
- You want a link profile that expands to all of your important pages, not just the home page.
- Try to form an even balance of local directories, industry directories, forum contributions, social bookmarking, and all the different types of back link or citation.
- Consider changing the anchor terms (the words in your link) to symbolize keywords you want that page to rank for but make sure you’re balancing anchor terms, and don’t have a ton of 1 phrase.
Building cannabis back links the right way
Guest Blog or Review Articles
Guest Blogs
Guest blog articles are wonderful because they typically build a relationship between your team and the publishing website, but also usually allow a certain amount of control when it comes to link placement, anchor text and topics covered in the content.
In order to generate a great guest blog backlink, outreach is going to be your best friend. High authority publishers are always accepting guest content, as long as it’s original, and add value for readers. Most publications will either have a link to a submit page, or display an email in which you can contact to inquire about content submissions.
- Make sure your content adds value
- Make sure your content covers a trending topic
- Outreach to targeted blogs prior to writing your segment, and keep track of who you’re messaging!
- Make simple, to the point outreach emails, and outline your credentials + areas of focus in writing. I find including past articles eliminates the need for an extra email
- In order to find websites, search your keywords but add “submit content or “guest blog” or “submit” after, to filter out the search results accepting guest content a little easier.
- Check the domain authority and page authority of websites and focus on the high authority publications
- Keep it cannabis publications, or larger publications with cannabis categories and regular cannabis content
Review Sites
Finding websites that are active in posting product or service reviews in your industry are a great method to generate quick, quality backlinks. Simply locate and contact the website owners that you and your website exist. Include a few quality ideas of how you could partner to benefit eachother.
Forum Links
Forums can provide high quality back links as the domain authority of many established forums tends to be high, the page authority of high volume thread also might be high, and if the topic is chosen correctly, and it’s theme aligns with your page, search engines will grant more equity to the relationship.
With that being said, you want to build a good reputation within these forums and that doesn’t mean spamming your links. Contribute to conversations, start intriguing threads, and share your expertise with others in the community. Add value, and when appropriate, use your website as a citation, with transparency. Most forum profiles offer a signature or profile in which you can also insert your URL.
There’s a handful of high ranking cannabis forums in the Canadian and international cannabis communities that we’ve discovered and put into a convenient chart for you to compare, here’s our list of weed forums.
Social Bookmarking Links
Social bookmarking sites give you a promotional opportunity to reach others in the cannabis communities within these platforms, but also, generate a high domain authority backlink to your website. Some of these platforms have an active cannabis community, and I find can help your pages get indexed faster if you’re publishing pages or posts often.
Again, it’s important to not appear spammy, and it’s best if you mix your content in at a highly diluted ratio. Share other websites and blogs with similar or complimentary content, and mix your pages in every 8 – 10 posts at most. Build folders and categorize the content on these sites to make it more discoverable.
Here’s a list of some of the top social bookmarking links websites accepting cannabis content.
Coupon Site Links
Coupon website are valuable for two reasons. Building local and content similar links, but also directly promoting to cannabis consumers actively looking for deals, or searching terms you might not cover.
Most often these websites are optimized for “cheap” “deal” “coupon” terms, and they will do the magic for you. While some will never drive a sale, others might drive many, and I find it’s worth running a month campaign on all of them to see what works for your business.
Often these websites require you to register your brand, some might even require an affiliate link to earn revenues on the traffic they send you. These are often the websites that know they will drive traffic if you give them enough incentive to drive sales. The better the deal the more interest you will probably draw, but these sites usually accept free shipping and free item sales as well as price based and percentage discounts.
Here’s some sites focused on sharing cannabis coupons.
Guest Blog Articles and Submitted Content
Wikipedia Links
Wikipedia links are super highly valued, should the link stay there. Wikipedia standing with Google is that of wisdom and knowledge, and a reference from a Wiki will signal that your content is a good reference in that category. This traditionally requires a blog, and a knowledge base of some sort.
To find Wikipedia content to reference, simply find a topic that isn’t covered in detail , or is lacking in references. Build resources that educate in that area on your website, potentially in your blog. Reference your quality content from the Wiki article that aligns with a category or theme of product you are working to promote. Now link that article to a page that aligns with the Wiki article and you’re working to increase position for.
Government Resources
.gov links are highly powerful in the eyes of search engines, and extremely hard to come across. I don’t really have any tips for generating these in the cannabis industry as of now, unless you are a non profit / federally organized agency.
Education Links
.edu links are another way to signal search engines high quality content. These are hard to obtain and traditionally require some sort of scholarly publishing, study, research based, medical or scientific discovery, or something scholary in nature.
Scholarships provide cannabis companies without these types of resources an opportunity to generate .edu backlinks. Offering a scholarship believe it or not isn’t that complicated nor does it require a massive investment as organizations have the ability to choose their terms. Offering a scholarship is a sure fire way to get the link you’ve been working on getting from your local University.
Reddit Links, They Are Not All the Same!
Reddit is a good opportunity to generate follow links from cannabis communities to your project. Not all links are follow however, and last time we checked, a post or comment required at least 4 upvotes to achieve a follow tag to accompany your link. That ensures that website creators like us aren’t spamming and are held to some sort of quality standard when looking to grow our website link profile.
With upvotes comes non-spammy content. What is that exactly? Well it’s participating in a community, sharing multiple content sources and text posts that add value to the community without simply spamming your links.
Here’s a list of weed subreddits.
Web 2.0 Links
We’ve included a handful of Web 2.0 links that offer a profile backlink, signature backlink, or some area to insert your cannabis website URL. Web 2.0 links are just that, higher ranking domain authority websites that allow users to get a link to their site. These are not always quality, but sometimes work for supporting links. These could be say, a YouTube profile link, a SoundCloud feed link, maybe a job posting, or a Medium blog feed link, although Medium is strictly prohibiting cannabis related content in 2020.
Cannabis PBN
Cannabis PBN’s are essentially a network of supporting websites that rank well, pointing links to your important pages and websites. 2 ways people create PBNs – A subdomain on a website builder – Users will make a free website on a custom host. “Buy Weed Now” is our website. WordPress (or any of the major site builders) will give you a subdomain ie. buyweednow.wordpress.com – If you look, super high domain authority. SEO’s will go a step further and buy an expired domain that alread holds page and domain authority, and fill the pages with content, holding the value and providing a platform to share equity with projects – This is a very time consuming technique, and only really is worth the time if you’re managing a bunch of different cannabis websites.
- WordPress
- Medium
- Tumblr
- Patreon
- Storyfire
Blog Website Builders
- Weebly
- Wix
- WordPress
- Strikingly
by extract
Ad Networks For Canadian Cannabis Businesses
July 23, 2020 in Business, Tech
Advertising a cannabis company in Canada or the USA is a touchy subject. Most large scale advertiser networks have been public with their anti-cannabis publishing terms, removing the grey area and limiting brands associated with cannabis in their entirety. Two advertiser networks that have limited cannabis include Google and Facebook, unfortunately these ad networks extend further than these two websites as YouTube, Instagram and all associated brands prevent cannabis brands from any sort of promoted posts what so ever.
For those new to ad networks here’s a quick breakdown as to what we’re talking about:
An ad network connect publishers and advertisers in order for brands and organizations to reach a concentration of people that would be the perfect audience for whatever message it may be.
Publishers being websites (blogs, news etc), social media accounts and creators that publish content in the form of articles, videos and posts. Post a simple script on your site for the ability to earn money and monetize the traffic coming to your website by showing ads. Payments come in many forms, but some pay for views, others for clicks and each ad network has it’s own model.
Advertisers are made up of the businesses advertising. Advertisers are permitted to share their message via video, text, run remarketing ads, native ads, and a whole bunch of ad types to a specific audience. Each platform offers their own breakdown of targeting, but popular varieties include type of device, ISP, location, demographics, interests, and nearly any attribute you can think of. Rates typically differ depending upon competition for that ad slot, and that is determined by ad quality, relevancy and website strength, sometimes more or less factors.
Cannabis Friendly Advertising Networks
We browsed the terms on 2020’s best advertising networks to find the best fit for cannabis companies. Below is a comparison of ad networks that allow cannabis advertisers and cannabis publishers. If you’re looking to reach cannabis consumers on cannabis themed websites, we’ve added a column for notable publishers, so you can get a feel for which websites you have access to without the need to sign up. We just launched our cannabis ad network.
| Network | Cannabis Focused Network | Search / Display / Retargeting / Video | Targeting | Publishers |
| Kush Clicks | Yes | |||
| Puff Network | Yes | GEO, browser, device, operating system, and day/time targeting. | High Times, Puff Puff Post, Skunk, Herb | |
| Bitmedia | No | |||
| Mantis | Yes | Video, Display, Native, Mobile, retargeting | GEO, demographics, content aware ads | Meical Jane, Leafly, Wikileaf, Grass City, Marijuana Business Daily, The Cannabist, Merry Jane |
| Traffic Roots | Yes | Display banners, Video, Native | Demographic, Psycographic, Proxmity, Footfall. Audience Extenstions, Political Beliefs, Testing Look-a-like marketing features | Marijuana Business Daily |
| Reddit Posts | No | Text Ads, Organic Posts | Topic / Communities | |
| Taboola | Video, Social, Content | GEO, Categories, Demographics | ||
| Revoffers | Yes | WebMD, Buzzfeed, Forbes, CBD Oil Reviews, | ||
| Pop Ads | No | Category, keyword, country, time | ||
| Weed Tube | Yes | Display | Location | WeedTube Channels |
| Hilltop Ads | No | Display, Vido, Text, Native, Popup and Under, Everything really, Retargeting | Country, Device type, Retargeting, OS / Browser, Time, Keywords, ISP, Mobile Carrier | |
| Springbig | Yes | Ratergeting Dispensary Customers by SMS | Existing customers |
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Advertising Networks That Aren’t Cannabis Friendly
-
- Google – Terms of Service
- Facebook – Terms of Service
- Instagram – Terms of Service
- YouTube – Terms of Service
- Reddit – Terms of Service
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by extract
Cannabis Coupon Sites
July 18, 2020 in Business
Cannabis coupon websites are a great way to gain quality backlinks to your domain, as well, reach your target customers with discounts that will drive sales. To submit cannabis discounts, deals, coupon codes and sales, simply make a profile at one of many coupon websites and get noticed right away.
Not all cannabis coupon websites accept cannabis businesses and listings unfortunately, but that’s okay, we’ve tracked down the top ranking websites for sharing your cannabis coupons. A few of the links are general couponing websites that are currently publishing marijuana deals, and others are marijuana specific deal websites that are exclusive to cannabis coupons. This database is part of our marijuana citations guide, check it out for a full list of cannabis directories, coupon sites, forums, reddit communities, and more.
| Site | URL | Focus |
| Coupon Sock | couponsock.com |
General Coupons
|
| 420 Coupon Codes | 420couponcodes.com |
Marijuana Products
|
| Coupon Reviews | couponnreview.com |
General Coupons
|
| Coupon Birds | couponbirds.com |
General Coupons
|
| We Thrift | wethrift.com/ |
General Coupons
|
| Coupon Chiefs | couponchief.com |
General Coupons
|
| Coupon Nix | couponlx.com |
General Coupons
|
| Cannabis Coupons | cannabiscouponcodes.com |
Marijuana Products
|
| Cannasaver | cannasaver.com/ |
Marijuana Products
|
| Cannadeals | cannadeals.info/ |
Marijuana Products
|
| Save on Cannabis | saveoncannabis.com/ |
Marijuana Products
|
| Dealspotr | dealspotr.com |
General Coupons
|
| Pot Promos | potpromos.ca/ |
Marijuana Products
|
| Leaf Buyer | leafbuyer.com/deals/dispensaries/CO/Denver |
Marijuana Products
|
| Coupon Follow | couponfollow.com |
General Coupons
|
| Leafly | Leafly.com |
Marijuana Products
|
| Weedmaps | Weedmaps.com |
Marijuana Products
|
by extract
Marijuana Directories And Local Citations
July 18, 2020 in Business
We’ve put together a list of over 180 local cannabis directories that you can add a business listing to. Submit your business to legal cannabis dispensary directories, bong shop directories, cannabis business directories, local citations and general high ranking directories to get quality links that point back to your website.
This database is part of our cannabis citations database, check it out for a full list of cannabis directories, coupon sites, forums, reddit communities, and more.
Top Cannabis Directories For Canadian Dispensaries
Below are the top cannabis directories online for cannabis dispensaries based on domain authority.
| Business | URL | Type of Website | Forum, Directory, 2.0, Coupons | DA | PA |
| ** Advertise your website here | ** Advertise your website here | ** Advertise your website here | ||
| Merry Jane | https://www.merryjane.com/ | Marijuana Directory | 83 | 53 |
| Weed Maps | https://weedmaps.com/ | Marijuana Directory | 79 | 58 |
| Weedmaps | https://weedmaps.com/dispensaries/new | Marijuana Directory | 79 | 37 |
| Herb.co | http://herb.co/submit-idea-herb/ | Marijuana Directory | 64 | 31 |
| Mass Roots | https://www.massroots.com/ | Marijuana Directory | 61 | 49 |
| Pot Guide | https://potguide.com/add-my-business/ | Marijuana Directory | 61 | 32 |
| The Pot Guide | https://potguide.com/ | Marijuana Directory | 61 | 47 |
| Safe Access Now | http://www.safeaccessnow.org | Marijuana Directory | 59 | 55 |
| Medical Jane | https://www.medicaljane.com/directory/ | Marijuana Directory | 58 | 41 |
| The Cannabis Industry | http://thecannabisindustry.org/join-now/ | Marijuana Directory | 58 | 38 |
| Colorado Pot Guide | https://www.coloradopotguide.com/add-my-business/ | Marijuana Directory | 55 | 26 |
| Ganjapreneur | https://www.ganjapreneur.com/add-listing/ | Marijuana Directory | 55 | 32 |
| Cannabis .NET | https://cannabis.net | Marijuana Directory | 54 | 51 |
| Hail Mary Jane | http://www.hailmaryjane.com/the-hmj-directory | Marijuana Directory | 52 | 28 |
| Wiki Leaf | https://www.wikileaf.com/signup/ | Marijuana Directory | 52 | 33 |
| AHPA | http://www.ahpa.org/Portals/0/PDFs/AHPA_Active_Member_Application.pdf | Marijuana Directory | 51 | 25 |
| Kush Tourism | https://kushtourism.com/ | Marijuana Directory | 51 | 43 |
Alternatives To WeedMaps
Here’s the start of our database of over 200 alternatives to WeedMaps. WeedMaps alternatives are directories that will help you share your business with customers but also earn a quality, trusted back link pointing to your website.
| Business | URL |
Type
|
| 420 101 | https://420101.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420 List | http://420list.co |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420 Nation | http://www.420nation.com |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420 Portal | https://www.420portal.com |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420A3 | https://www.420a3.com |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420Medicated | http://420medicated.com/listing-type/dispensary/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 710 Chronicle | http://www.710chronicle.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| AHPA | http://www.ahpa.org/Portals/0/PDFs/AHPA_Active_Member_Application.pdf |
Marijuana Directory
|
| All Bud | https://www.allbud.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Alternative Resource Directory | http://alternativeresourcesdirectory.com/marijuana/marijuana |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Best Leaf CA | http://bestleaf.ca/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| BestMedicalMarijuanaDoctors | http://www.bestmedicalmarijuanadoctors.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Biz420 | https://biz420directory.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Bong Local | https://bonglocal.com/login?redirect_add_listing=https%3A%2F%2Fbonglocal.com%2Fadd-listing |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Bud Hub | http://buddhub.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Bud Pubs | https://www.budpubs.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Bud Tray | https://budtray.com/canada/british-columbia/vancouver/dispensary |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Budsmap | https://budsmap.com/submit-listing/?mode=grid |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Canna Connection | https://www.cannaconnection.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Canna Health | https://www.cannahealth.org/write-for-us |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Canna Pages | https://cannapages.com/users/sign_up?pre_selection=listing |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Canna SOS | https://cannasos.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Cannabis .NET | https://cannabis.net |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Cannabis Adventures | http://www.cannabisadventures.guru/business-directory/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Upgrade to see 125 more local marijuana citations | ||
Complete list of Cannabis Directories To Submit a Business
The complete guide to cannabis citations in 2020 is listed below.
| Business | URL |
Type of Website | Forum, Direcotory, 2.0, Coupons
|
| 420 101 | https://420101.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420 List | http://420list.co |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420 Nation | http://www.420nation.com |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420 Portal | https://www.420portal.com |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420A3 | https://www.420a3.com |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 420Medicated | http://420medicated.com/listing-type/dispensary/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| 710 Chronicle | http://www.710chronicle.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| AHPA | http://www.ahpa.org/Portals/0/PDFs/AHPA_Active_Member_Application.pdf |
Marijuana Directory
|
| All Bud | https://www.allbud.com/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Alternative Resource Directory | http://alternativeresourcesdirectory.com/marijuana/marijuana |
Marijuana Directory
|
| Best Leaf CA | http://bestleaf.ca/ |
Marijuana Directory
|
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by extract
Ontario Cannabis Dispensary Options Grow As Second Cup’s Parent Company Plans Massive Expansion
July 12, 2020 in Business, Today In Weed, Weed
Aegis Brands, parent of Canadian coffee franchise Second Cup is utilizing their second cup locations to leverage massive expansion across the province of Ontario.
Hempisphere Cannabis Co is the latest brand under the Aegis Brands portfolio positioned to increase the availability of recreational cannabis across Canada, beginning in Ontario with one location recently opened and six more locations to open in coming months.
Second Cup has faced ups and downs over the last few years constantly refocusing to find their competitive advantage in a saturated Canadian craft coffee shop market. In 2018, the chain shared their motivations to move into the emerging cannabis industry, announcing a strategic partnership with NAC (National Access Cannabis) and motivations to move into the Western Canadian cannabis industry.
According to 2018 documents issued by Second Cup: NAC will apply for licences to dispense cannabis products and upon receipt, work with Second Cup and applicable franchisees to leverage Second Cup’s extensive Canadian retail footprint to construct retail stores carrying leading cannabis products.
2018 announcements suggested as many as 130 Second Cup locations across Canada could become dispensaries although this agreement has since been terminated in 2019. Second Cup brand has shifted it’s immediate strategy to the massive local Ontario market, leveraging current Second Cup locations to hold licenses and transform into Hempisphere Cannabis Co dispensary locations.
These announcements follow Aegis Brands complications with the COVID19 pandemic as over 80 of their 244 Canadian locations have temporarily suspended operations. Cannabis dispensaries remain open and thriving as some reports suggest sales have increased up to 20% since the start of Canadian COVID19 response measures have been put in place.
The six more Hempisphere Cannabis Co locations to come:
- 1703 Avenue Road in Toronto – Opened
- 518 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
- 700 King Street West, Toronto
- 65 Front Street East, Toronto
- 955 Westney Road, Ajax
- 171 Rideau Street, Ottawa
- 3838 Innes Road, Orleans
According to Aegis Brands’ press release, Hempisphere Cannabis Co is a dispensary serving all levels of cannabis consumers.
“Hemisphere promises a premium shopping experience for everyone from the canna-curious to seasoned users. Knowledgeable budtenders have been specially trained to provide a guided selection experience for those who need it, and stores are organized based on need-state to help create a simple-to-navigate shopping experience”
by extract
HPLC Analyzer For Cannabis Testing Launches in Canada
July 8, 2020 in Business, Tech
CTInstruments Ltd. is a Calgary-based company launching its affordable high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyzer for testing cannabinoids.
The analyzer is compact and has been designed for use by anyone without prior experience with analytical instruments and at $14,790.00 USD is priced for growers, entrepreneurs looking to get into cannabis testing business, testing labs looking to increase their cannabis testing capacity or expand testing portfolio. It is also suitable for government testing and law enforcement.
CTInsruments is also finalizing the development of a high throughput version with autosampler.
The cannabis HPLC analyzer is now available for sale and priced at $14,790.00 USD.
For more information visit: https://cannabistestingsimplified.com/
CTInstruments Ltd.
- 100-111 5th AVE SW, STE 396
- Calgary, AB, T2P 3Y6
- support@cannabistestingsimplified.com
by extract
The Complete Guide To Bitcoin – A History of Bitcoin & Cannabis and a Guide To Using Bitcoin In Canada
July 4, 2020 in Business, Events, Opinion, Tech, Weed
Bitcoin is the original crypto currency. Released as a form of peer-to-peer digital transaction with the aim to remove the trust element that comes with third party financial services. Bitcoin allows you to manage your funds absent of a bank, removing fees and putting the security in your hands. This type of currency doesn’t require the opening of an account to send money, nor does it require any sort of personal verification, or identification at all. Simply download a Bitcoin wallet software on your phone or computer, and you’re ready to use Bitcoin, it’s that easy.
Bitcoin and cannabis have been intertwined since the early days of crypto currency.
The dark web started showing signs of bitcoin within days of it’s birth and this is essentially where crypto currencies value in the global drug trade started to be realized. Below we will walk you through a basic history of the Silk Road, early Canadian cannabis vendors online, how traditional dispensaries have adopted techniques from the dark web and what the modern day ecosystem looks like for buying weed online.
The History of Bitcoin and Cannabis in Canada
Stoners Guide To Using Bitcoin Contents
- What is Cryptocurrency
- What is Bitcoin
- Pros and Cons of Bitcoin
- Common Myths of Bitcoin
- A Technical History
- Important Considerations
- Bitcoin Meets Cannabis Online
- A Modern Day Look at Bitcoin
- Is There a Cannabis Cryptocurrency?
- Get Started Using Bitcoin
- Bitcoin Wallets
- Bitcoin Storage and Security
- Bitcoin Exchanges
- Buying and Selling Bitcoin in Canada
- Trade Bitcoin For Other Cryptocurrencies
What is Cryptocurrency?
Bitcoin is one of thousands of crypo currencies that exist in the digital world today; each offering it’s users varying fundamentals for how the currency works, and typically each targeted at solving a specific problem. For instance, certain coins target the issue of anonymity, while others focus on low cost transactions. For the most part, many crypto currencies aim at a peer to peer relationship between sender and receiver, minimizing the reliance on financial services.
Crypto currencies are held in “wallets”. A crypto currency wallet is a software or physical device that holds your currency of choice. Each currency has it’s own wallet software that is available for download on mobile device or desktop. Once your wallet is installed, you will be able to sent, receive and store Bitcoins.
Bitcoin and other crypto currencies use 2 main addresses or keys to send and receive coins. The public address is the set of characters used for receiving and checking the balance of another wallet – this address is what you want to share with others who want to send you coins. You cannot access or send coins with this address. The private key is used to access your coins and spend them, and should never be shared with anyone. We will go through these in detail below.
Cryptocurrencies are traded on “exchanges”, platforms that let you buy bitcoin for credit, cash, Interac and a variety of payments popular across Canada. Since Bitcoin is the most fungible of the crypto currencies, it’s used as an on-ramp to the crypto world. Once you’ve got Bitcoin, you can essentially trade on any crypto exchange for other international currencies and crypto coins.
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the original crypto currency. The whole culture was popularized back in 2009 by an individual or group that goes by the pseudonym Satoshi. With the goal to offer a coin that was decentralized and offer a peer to peer system that utilized computer software to power the network, the White Paper was released on the Bitcoin Talk forums. These forums are where a large amount of Bitcoin chat happens, and it’s an alight place to visit and ask questions. r/Bitcoin is another Bitcoin community that’s extremely active. To this day nobody really knows who Satoshi is, although there is plenty of theories, 100% proof has yet to be shown.
A Technical History of Bitcoin
There is a limited amount of Bitcoins in circulation and a limited number in total, 21 million to be exact. Bitcoin are released into circulation by running certain software on powerful computers, this is a thing called mining, in which computers complete mathematical equations in search for rewards called “blocks”. Blocks hold transactions that are sent and hold the equations that need to be solved in order to release fresh bitcoin. That’s right… Not only does mining release newly minted bitcoin to bitcoin miners, they also secure transactions that you sent, hence the reference to “confirmations”. When you send Bitcoin, miners actually see those transactions and verify to the network they happened, in turn rewarding the miner that solves the puzzle.
In recent times, the centralization or decentralization is debatable, as big companies, early adopters and pooled mining has put a lot of power in a few hands. This comes with the ability to influence decisions, and that’s an important topic when it comes to a thing called a “fork”.
A fork comes into play when someone submits a proposal to update the protocol. The bitcoin protocol is open source and anyone can update it. To keep it simple, this gives everyone contributing o the Bitcoin network a choice, and when another protocol is adopted by network players and a new”chain” is created. Bitcoin in nature is defined as the longest “chain” or the protocol that is most adopted. There’s a few different types of forks but that gets complicated.
A Few Reasons Why People Are Using Bitcoin
- Easy and pay in seconds once everything is setup
- Easily track and trace past payments and any wallet address in real time
- Send incremental or massive sums of money in seconds for the same low fees
- No accounts are needed to get started
- Social media tips make it easy to send crypto on any social media platform in seconds
- It is built on a platform for modernization, upgrades and applications – developers can use the blockchain for building cool apps
- The worlds largest distributed, transparent ledger
- Pseudonymous and a route to anonymous transactions
- Great for people looking to host multi user wallets or follow transaction history through multiple parties
- Personal financial management / removes the need for paying and trusting third party services or banks
- Margin and futures trading platforms are an on ramp to learn the fundamentals of trading with pennies
The Cons of Using Bitcoin
- If you don’t know your security its easy to get hacked
- There’s no insurance for being hacked
- Not as convenient for in person retail transactions
- Risks of flooded network and slower transactions at times
- Subject to government / regulation change
- Fluctuations make it hard to hold if you have low disposable income
- Not as fungible, options not available to use it
A Few Things You Need To Know About Bitcoin
- Bitcoin on a consumer level offers a number of benefits, for instance multi signature wallets – which allow users to share wallets, and require instant confirmation to actually withdraw finances. If we shared a wallet and I was trying to spend some of our Bitcoin, your phone would instantly notify to either accept or deny the transaction, a function with endless value.
- Bitcoin transactions cannot be reversed after x amount of confirmations, chargebacks are not possible.
- Each Bitcoin transaction is published on the blockchain, a transparent database of wallet and transaction information accessible by anyone at any time
- The blockchain is not hosted in one place, rather by everyone participating in the ecossytem by running a wallet etc. Once of bitcoin’s proprietary values is the fact that nearly every bitcoin user holds an up to date ledger of every bitcoin transaction ever sent, that’s why transactions are 100% verifiable, timestamped and can’t be falsified
- Applications can be developed for interaction with the blockchain to complete a number of tasks automatically, for example – settle payments automatically based on a set of rules, or one of the early blockchain projects – turn on your microwave or appliances with a transaction. The blockchain is made to develop apps and layers on top, as at it’s bare bones it’s a protocol transferring blocks of data at heart.
- Although Bitcoin is worth a large value in regards to CAD, it trades increments of Bitcoin, so users can buy $20 CAD or 0.001 BTC for instance. Bitcoin lets users send and receive pennies, or billions in seconds, worldwide, for the same fee no matter what the amount.
- Bitcoin is stored, send and received in software called a Bitcoin wallet. Store bitcoin on any mobile device, computer, or even print a paper wallet and even store your bitcoin on a piece of paper.
This is what a Bitcoin wallet looks like, these are used to store, send and receive Bitcoins. Download a trusted Bitcoin wallet from the choices in our getting started guide below
Here’s an example of a Bitcoin exchange used to buy and sell Bitcoin for CAD. Buy and sell Bitcoin on Bitfinex with credit cards
Send and receive Bitcoin on any social media platform. Above shows a mod tipping everyone in the Discord Channel $5. Join the Team Extract Discord channel
While many claim that Bitcoin is anonymous, it’s not. Each transaction and public wallet address is completely transparent and accessible by anyone, at any date or time. When you have a public wallet address (the syntax you send coins to), you can also use a blockchain explorer to check the balance of the wallet address, and surf the trail of previous transactions.
Check out this study conducted by researchers at Qatar University and Hamad Bin Khalifa University, it might just help put to rest the myth that Bitcoin transactions are anonymous, because they are most certainly not.
Wired reports: In well over 100 cases, they could connect someone’s bitcoin payment on a dark web site to that person’s public account. In more than 20 instances, they say, they could easily link those public accounts to transactions specifically on the Silk Road, finding even some purchasers’ specific names and locations.
Keep in mind these are transaction dating back as early as 2011 and 2012. I’m not suggesting that Bitcoin puts your identity out there, but for professionals with the right knowledge, consciously tracing someones online footprints can lead to identity. Bitcoin provides an on ramp to the crypto currency world, from there anonymity is possible with the right movements and hardware.
When Bitcoin’s are sent and received, the network is notified nearly instantly as you will see on a blockchain explorer or within your wallet. While the coins are sent instantly, Bitcoin uses “verifications” which are essentially other computers verifying the transition happened to update the database used on the blockchain explorers so everyone using the network knows that transaction happened.
This all happens without centralization, so this whole network and database is a hybrid of a decentralized / distributed system, every bitcoin wallet and exchange contributing stability, essentially operating without a central location or database, rather shared around the world with everyone using bitcoin.
This gives you a look into some of the fundamentals of the Bitcoin world and how it works, we’ll explain how wallets, exchanges work and how you can manage your own bitcoin wallets a little bit below.
Bitcoin Meets The Canadian Cannabis Market
We can attribute part of Bitcoin’s popularity to the payment services it brought to the dark net market, originally the Silk Road Marketplace which was an online marketplace where vendors and customers could transact illicit substances, using bitcoin to complete the financial transaction.
The Silk Road started in early 2011 and the marketplace user-base rose in unison with the popularity and value of Bitcoin to be the #1 drug market on the deep web. It wouldn’t take much time for Canada’s West Coast to jump on the benefits of their location and start exporting cannabis in great quantities around the world, raking in the Bitcoin and showing just how convenient the cryptocurrency functioned for quick global trade of all sizes. Unfortunately, Canada wasn’t only known for cannabis.
British Columbia was also pumping out a number of Silk Road accounts linked to scammers, fake hit men, a number of larger gang activity and an insane rabbit hole that we’re going to include in another article, because, well, it’s so damn interesting. But for now, we’ll keep it cannabis and we’ll start at the top of the rabbit hole with a mysterious online account by the Name of MarijuanaIsMyMuse.
MarijuanaIsMyMuse Puts Canada on the Map
In 2013 one of the larger vendor accounts dubbed MarijuanaIsMyMuse had a thick foundation as a vendor and was generating massive sales as a dark web cannabis wholesaler.
MarijuanaIsMyMuse’s main inventory was cannabis, but the account was serving the dark web with a variety of substances. While this was an online account eventually attributed to two residents of British Columbia Canada, James Ellingson and someone by the alias of DAL, it’s been widely reported that this account was used by multiple people in a group.
After time, reports would surface that MarijuanaIsMyMuse took the dark web far past the cannabis trade, creating multiple big vendor accounts, growing them with fake reviews and then eventually scamming users on a big limited time vendor sale. And that’s just the start. Climbing the ranks and coming closer to Ross Ulbricht (the owner and operator of the Silk Road Marketplace) one of the individuals associated with the MarijuanaIsMyMuse account is accused of using some additional fake accounts to manipulate Ross and withdraw millions of dollars in Bitcoin from the Silk Road to local Canadian Bitcoin exchanges, some of which were verified with personal ID and would leave a trail of evidence pointing authorities to one of the men behind the cannabis vendor accounts, BC native James Ellingson.
The Star wrote an in-depth article showcasing two old forum posts from MarijunaIsMyMuse in the Silk Road forums. The quotes seem to align well with reports of eventual legal action that would come to two individuals behind the account.
“I/we am/are MarijuanaIsMyMuse. Or I/we suppose TeamMuse is more appropriate … What began almost a year ago as a one-man journey on a bold new marketplace has become a multi-man operation,” the user wrote in one post.
“We have dropped 2 team members and added 2 new ones that are on their game,” the user wrote on July 15, 2013. “We are fully functional and not scammers. Hope this sheds light on any doubt that we are and still want to be your one stop shop on SR.”
According to the Vancouver Sun: “Interestingly, James Ellingson, 42, communicated with Silk Road owner Ross Ulbricbht using the handle “redandwhite” which is usually a reference to the Hells Angels”.
James Ellingson who was a pioneer of the international export of Canadian cannabis on the dark would end up extorting Ross Ulbricbht for hundred of thousands of dollars in multiple successful extortion attempts in which James would play the side of an information leak and the crew hired to silence leak, making money on both sides of the murder trade, and completely fabricating the entire thing.
Between November 2011 and April 2013 US authorities suggest James Ellingson along with a user nicknamed DAL (said to be 2 brothers) had cashed out multiple millions on Canadian bitcoin exchanges under the MarijuanaIsMyMuse vendor account, until a slip up with DAL would see the seizure of 14kg of dried cannabis flower and roughly 226 bitcoin ($2.7 Million today). Stored on hard drives, these Bitcoin would eventually lead up to civil forfeiture cases and a back and forth between DAL and Canadian authorities as well, James Ellingson battling extradition charges from within the United States which are currently still in motion.
It seems as though DAL ended up dealing with the heat locally, while James has been fighting off extradition on serious charges of exporting schedule 1 narcotics to the USA.
With changing regulations and shifting policies towards certain drugs especially cannabis, vendors would have to adapt and change based on consumer demands, ensuring that the Canadian cannabis vendors on the darknet were explicitly using the platforms for international export and larger quantity orders.
According to the government of Canada, Canadian cannabis consumers who are shopping with Bitcoin tend to buy in greater volumes or wholesale. “Moreover, Demant et al. (2018b) suggest the presence of wholesale purchases rather than personal use and social supply purchases. This finding is supported by Décary-Hétu et al. (2018), who found that half of all revenues generated for cannabis on cryptomarkets were for transactions between 28 and 454 grams. At least in the U.S., the price per gram of cannabis appears to be higher on cryptomarkets than on the streets (Décary-Hétu et al., 2018).” – https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2019-r004/index-en.aspx#a14
The Dark Web Inspires The Growth of Mail Order Marijuana Sites In Canada
In recent years cannabis sales have remained strong, in 2015 cannabis was the #1 illicit substance traded taking nearly 31% of the total darknet marketplace transactions. Vendors have moved beyond the Silk Road and the cycle of darknet marketplaces rising and falling continues with new big names moving in and out of the space daily.
The Canadian Government has been watching cannabis crypto markets since the beginning in early 2011 and haven’t really stopped, in fact, nobody has to do anything, a software named DATACRYPTO is constantly scraping all the dark net markets for vendor and listing information, and it gives anyone who wants a cool look into cannabis pricing on the dark net markets over the years, especially in response to the Cannabis Act, and legal cannabis in October of 2018.
The Cannabis Act
A Paper titled Patterns in the Cannabis Crypto Markets published in 2018 suggests the introduction of the Cannabis Act in 2018 changed the face of black market cannabis in Canada quite significantly.
It’s not that the Cannabis Act killed inter provincial cannabis trade within Canada, it’s the fact that the dark web still hold quite a learning curve, and with accessibility and competition increasing significantly, illicit cannabis would require an easier on ramp for the everyday cannabis consumer. Canadian dark net crypto cannabis dealers would start to focus on international growth, and inner Canadian competition would drop to under 10 vendors on the dark web.
Mail order marijuana existed for nearly a decade leading up the Cannabis Act and would see a trickle effect of cannabis vendors from the dark web moving their own ventures on the world wide web accessible by anyone, anywhere.
A Canadian Government study concluded that leading up to legal cannabis in Canada, the mail order marijuana market was thriving.
Prior to legalization, Mahamad and Hammond (2019) investigated the number of illicit retailers and the price they offered across the largest municipality of each province and territory in Canada. They found a total of 997 cannabis retailers and 215 physical storefronts. They state that the average price of cannabis ranges between $7.80 and $12.30 per gram depending on the cannabis strain, which converged with Ouellet et al.’s (2017) analyses.
Source: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2019-r004/index-en.aspx
According to the MOM list on Canadianmom.co, at the time of writing this article in 2020, roughly 38 of over 300 vendors are accepting Bitcoin, touching in at 10% of advertised online cannabis marijuana retailers.
The Cannabis Act would have an impact on pricing across the country, and around the world. Cannabis prices on the dark web would rise an average of 15% and Canadian vendors would start growing internationally in the dark net cannabis trade. Canada would rank #2 for global cannabis exports according to AlphaBay marketplace statistics gathered by the Tinbergen Institute Amsterdam.
Over time, each alternative cannabis marketplace would serve a different function and bitcoin would maintain it’s importance both as a mail order marijuana payment alternative, and a dark net market exclusive payment option. The dark web would fall into the wholesaler / distributor tool for larger cannabis exports, and import of drugs not available locally for Canadian distribution. Mail order marijuana platforms provide a consumer facing and friendly dispensary feeling, catering to smaller ordering from strictly Canadian cannabis consumers.
We Decided to Ask Random Mail Order Marijuana Sites Across Canada About Bitcoin – Here’s what they had to say:
We first started accepting Bitcoins in October 2019. We have had many members from within the Bitcoin community reach out to us to offer their support along with curious customers asking us about it. The reception has been very positive.
Bitcoins makes up about 2.5% of our sales at the moment. The ticket sizes of Bitcoins are usually much bigger than credit card or email money transfer. Most of the transactions are over $500.
My partners and I have been big fans of Bitcoins. Being veterans of the cannabis space, we have had to deal with a non compliant banking system (although it’s slowly getting better) so Bitcoins is a tool that we have been using for many years now, not only with accepting it for product, but also using it to pay for a lot of our expenses. We accept it because of the demand, but also because we want to support and grow the cryptocurrency community. Yes, we definitely see a future with cannabis and Bitcoins. It fills a void from an unfriendly banking system, and as the infrastructure of Bitcoins develops and there’s more widespread adoption we believe more and more people will be using it to make their cannabis purchases.
CannaPanda.net
Do Legal Recreational Dispensaries Across Canada Accept Bitcoin Yet?
Today, Bitcoin has yet to make an appearance within a legal cannabis dispensary retail location, or eCommerce website as a payment alternative. And that’s okay. Cryptocurrencies are still in their infant phase, and so is cannabis legalization. While I do think that crypto currency transaction optimize digital payments and streamline eCommerce shopping, as cash remains king for in-person, retail transactions.
This isn’t really a negative though, and I feel as though Bitcoin and eCommerce cannabis dispensaries in Canada have a promising future that will take a few years to adapt. The main hump that remains is the lack of access to privatized provincial online cannabis dispensaries.
Heavily regulated distribution means provincial regulators have been given the power when it comes to online distribution, and that means that at the time of writing this article, it’s pretty much 1 provincially ran website serving the citizens of each province, territory or region.
According to the government of Canada’s website each province or territory determines:
- how cannabis can be sold
- where stores may be located
- how stores must be operated
- who is allowed to sell cannabis
This significantly complicates cryptocurrency access, as government agencies and contracted brands tend to shy away from the uncertainties that come associated with the cryptocurrency culture, so we probably won’t see bitcoin in any legal online dispensaries until dispensary licenses are issued to private business for online sales of legal cannabis.
What value would Bitcoin bring to legal cannabis dispensaries?
Consumer side
- Quick and easy payments online dispensary payments
- History of expenditure accessible by any party at anytime for claims or insurance etc
- For medical patients receiving benefits, bitcoin has the potential to automatically track and reimburse patients based on wallet transactions (this is a project idea that would need development)
- Multi-signature transactions could help prevent children from purchasing cannabis
- (this is a project idea that would need development)
- No need to tie cannabis sales to your personal credit and debit accounts, travelers to the USA from Canada are still getting flagged for cannabis consumption. Not with a bitcoin wallet
- Potentially cheaper shelf prices if bitcoin became the prioritized currency as it will drop merchant processing fees in the long-run
- One standard and familiar cannabis price when traveling different regions
Dispensary Side
- Cheaper processing for card not present transactions. Most aggregators and merchant account services charge 3% – 5% for online transactions. Bitcoin costs merchants 0% when accepting the currency wallet direct
- 100% accessible record of all transactions accessible by any party, at any time. This is great when multiple parties are working on financials, accounting, etc. and need access to transaction data on the fly
- Potential to create interactive loyalty programs and incentives purchases
- Extend services to a new demographic of customer
- Prevent kids from accessing cannabis products underage by using a system that ties identity to wallet address (this is a project idea that would need development)
- The opportunity to use the blockchain in developing a system that monitors wallet addresses tor KYC compliance
Licensed Producer Side
- Easy for global remittance and international exchange
- Extremely low cost for sending large amounts of currency
- One standard easy rate for international trade
- Multi-signature features to help verify expenditures on the go
The Volatility Discussion
While Bitcoins decentralized, distributed nature brings many positive attributes, it leaves a free market open to large fluctuations in value and the discussion of manipulation. the volatility of Bitcoin has certainly met its skeptics when it comes to consumers spending the crypto currency, and businesses accepting the crypto currency for payment.
We’ll let you be the judge, check the graph below:
At one point Bitcoin’s value was nearing $25,000 CAD and it’s adoption was at an all time high and we saw mail order marijuana sites across Canada start adopting the crypto currency. With fungibility at an all time high, consumers started using Bitcoin and marijuana vendors across Canada felt the benefits of low cost, more anonymous transactions that side tracked the bank and authority that comes with it.
This trip to the moon didn’t last, and Bitcoin would end up falling over the next years finding it’s home between $9000 and $15000 CAD. It’s this uncertainty that keeps bitcoin from taking over the payments industry as the fluctuations in value aren’t a risk many are willing to forego. Merchant tools developed by companies such as BitPay and other bitcoin wallet software brands that all businesses to accept bitcoin without the risk. These tools hedge Bitcoin to the value of a regional currency such as USD or CAD protecting merchants from extreme movements in bitcoin’s value.
On the consumer side, it’s still a free for all. Bitcoin holders should know that on any given day their wallet value can increase and decrease in a large way.
Is There A Cannabis Cryptocurrency?
Believe it or not, cannabis has a few of it’s own crypto coins that are currently sustaining some type of value.
-
- Potcoin (POT) – Current Value | Buy Potcoin
- Dopecoin (DOPE) – Current Value | Buy Dopecoin
- Hempcoin (THC) – Current Value | Buy Hempcoin
- CannabisCoin (CANN) – Current Value | Buy Cannabiscoin
- Cannacoin (CCN) – Current Value | Buy Cannacoin
How To Use Bitcoin – The Easy Guide To Getting Started
How To Use Bitcoin Contents
- Bitcoin Wallets
- Bitcoin Wallet Basics
- Types of Bitcoin Wallets
- Recommended Bitcoin Wallets
- Bitcoin Wallets & Trust
- Bitcoin Exchanges
- Bitcoin Exchange Basics
- Things to Consider When Choosing an Exchange
- Recommended Bitcoin Exchanges
- Bitcoin Exchanges & Trust
Learn all the basics of getting started with Bitcoin. Below we teach you how to download a wallet, use a Bitcoin exchange and find the best, trusted local services for your new crypto currency adventure.
Bitcoin Wallets
Bitcoin Wallet Basics
Bitcoin wallets are the software used to send, receive and store your bitcoin. Think of your bitcoin wallet the same as your online banking app on your phone; the only difference is, you actually own your bitcoin. that means you need to backup your wallet in case you lose your phone. Each bitcoin wallet will have their own instructions for how to do this.
Types of Bitcoin Wallets
Most popular bitcoin wallets are available on desktop and mobile, this helps users access bitcoin from both devices for added convenience. Your bitcoin wallet gives you total control and access to the bitcoins sent to the addresses you own. With this software it’s easy to separate accounts and create multiple wallets on the fly all within one interface. These are also knows as hot wallets as they are internet connected and ready to send your coins.
Cloud wallets are bitcoin wallets typically provided by services or businesses and add convenience to the situation by making your wallet accessible online from a website; this takes away from the whole “you own your funds” idea, as keeping bitcoin in a cloud wallet doesn’t mean you control your bitcoin and should that website go down, you’re SOL.
Physical wallets and cold storage are physical devices that hold your bitcoin offline, meaning they can’t be accessed without additional steps. This adds a layer of security and is a good option for those not spending but holding coins for a long period of time. A popular type of cold storage accessible to everyone is the paper wallet, a print out of the QR codes and custom addresses and keys needed to access your Bitcoins. By scanning QR codes or entering the custom text, you can send you bitcoin to a piece of paper that only you can access – that’s correct!
How Bitcoin Wallets WorkThere’s two custom syntax’s you will receive with your Bitcoin wallet. They are very important to send and receive coins, and each comes with a QR code for easier scanning on mobile devices. QR Codes are important because addresses and keys are made up of uppercase and lowercase letters plus a variety of numbers. They are case sensitive and it’s 100% crucial to send to the exact address or your coins are gone. Never manually enter an address, always use the QR code or copy / paste features.[vc_column_text]
How to Receive Bitcoin
Example of a public address: 1BXHxWXDtKvfNkLoy8vGhFVkGpNBy7qeYu
Public Address – The public address is the custom syntax that you can share with others when you want to receive crypto currency. This is your address for others to send coins to. You can also check the value and past transactions associated with the Bitcoin address publicly with a quick visit to any blockchain explorer.
How to Send Bitcoin
Private Key – Your private key (s) is used to access you bitcoin and should NEVER be shared with anyone but yourself. This is the key / QR code used to spend coins. If you store bitcoin on a paper wallet, this is what you will scan to sweep the coins on to your mobile device or desktop wallet. Anyone with this key has access to all your funds.
Recommended Bitcoin Wallets
Trusted Bitcoin Wallets
Desktop Bitcoin Wallets
| Desktop Wallet | Linux | Windows | Mac |
| Armory | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Bitcoin Core | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Bitcoin Knots | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Bither | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| BitPay | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Electrum | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Wasabi | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Cloud Bitcoin Wallets
Hardware Bitcoin Wallets
Trusted Bitcoin Wallets
Mobile Bitcoin Wallets
| Mobile Wallet | Android | iPhone |
| Bitcoin Wallet | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Bither | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| BitPay | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| BLW | ✔️ | ❌ |
| BRD | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Éclair | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Edge | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Electrum | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Mycelium | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Samourai Wallet | ✔️ | ❌ |
Multi Currency Crypto Wallets
Bitcoin Exchanges
Bitcoin Exchange Basics
Bitcoin exchanges are what you will use to buy and sell bitcoin. At some point you have to buy bitcoin with traditional payment options and there’s a bitcoin exchange for nearly every type of payment including gift cards, credit cards, Interac email transfer, Interac online, cash in person, wire transfer and more. In 2020, you can trade nearly anything for Bitcoin. For those who want to buy bitcoin locally, try Googling bitcoin ATM and there might be a local place for you to exchange cash for bitcoin instantly. Please note, bitcoin ATM’s tend to have extremely high exchange rates for both buying and selling although they give a convenient method to buy or sell for cash instantly.
There’s a few different types of bitcoin exchanges depending upon how much you want to be involved in the process. Simple exchanges that allow you to buy smaller amounts of bitcoin instantly with credit or debit typically charge a little higher rates but offer the quickest way to buy bitcoin.
The typical bitcoin exchange allows you to deposit CAD or BTC and place your own buy and sell orders at your desired rates. These exchanges give you far more freedom with all aspects of trading but require a little learning curve and usually some sort of identity verification.
Here’s how your average bitcoin exchange works:
- Create an account
- Deposit CAD
- Trade for BTC at the rate you choose
- The trade is completed when the market meets your price and your CAD is now BTC
- Withdraw to the public address of your personal wallet on desktop or mobile
We’ll take you through all the verified bitcoin exchanges below for every type of buy and sell situation you might be in.
Trusted Bitcoin Exchanges in Canada
Quick buy small amounts of bitcoin
| Quickbuy Exchange | Credit Card | Interac | Bank Wire | Other |
| MYBTC.ca | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | Flexpin & Cash |
| Coinberry | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Canadian owned bitcoin exchanges
| Canadian Bitcoin Exchange | Credit Card | Interac | Bank Wire | Other |
| Coinsquare | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | |
| Bitbuy | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
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Trusted Bitcoin Exchanges in Canada
Bitcoin exchanges offerings trades in Canada
| Exchange | Credit Card | Interac | Wire Transfer | Other |
| Binance | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | Cash |
| Coinbase | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ | Paypal withdraw |
| Gemeni | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | |
| Coinmama | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | |
| Kraken | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Cash & in-person debit |
| CoinCorner | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | |
| Paxful | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | Gift cards, Paypal, Skrill, Neteller, Cash |
Buy and sell bitcoin for cash
Trade bitcoin and cryptocurrency futures
Strictly crypto currency exchanges
Bitcoin Exchange Security
- Once you’re done trading always withdraw your bitcoin
- Pick an exchange with enough volume to trade. Often defunct exchanges won’t have enough volume for you to find the pair you are looking for. All of the Bitcoin exchanges recommended above have a high volume of trading.
- Check reviews for a trusted exchange
- Make sure the exchange you choose allows your desired payment methods
- Every exchange has different verification requirements, make sure to check those out before depositing
- Check out the withdraw policies prior to depositing
- Use all the proper security features so you are protected
Bitcoin lets you do some cool things…
And it has a lot of potential to positively influence the world
That’s all for now guys! Thanks for reading and I hope this helps detail the history of Bitcoin and cannabis in Canada. I know there’s a learning curve when it comes to crypto currencies and this guide is meant to make that experience easier. If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback hit me up in the comments below. If you found value in this guide, tips are greatly appreciated: 1BXHxWXDtKvfNkLoy8vGhFVkGpNBy7qeYu
If you want me to cover a topic regarding cryptocurrency in cannabis that I missed let me know in the comments below.
There is 2 follow up articles in the cannabis crypto series that we will be publishing in the coming weeks:
- Part 2 of 3 | How To Buy Weed With Bitcoin – The Many Ways People Are Using Bitcoin To Buy Weed Online in Canada
- Part 3 of 3 | Start accepting Bitcoin in Your Business – the steps to getting started accepting Bitcoin safely
by extract
Crop King Seeds Review 2024 (Updated)
Crop King Seeds Review
We’ve been using Crop King Seeds for years mainly for their massive selection of strains and their massive inventory of unique hybrids. Crop King Seeds ships across Canada, and offers promotions for nearly every holiday. Their standard is free shipping on orders over $200 and they offer 10 free seeds if your cart exceeds $420.
At the time of writing this Crop King Seeds Review 274 feminized, 92 autoflower, 8 CBD and 34 regular seed strains are available, and these come in indica seeds, sativa seeds, indica dominnat hybrid, and sativa dominant hybrid.
Seed packs are priced accordingly and come In packs to 5, 10 and 25. Each product page is equip with all the information you’re going to need to understand the flowering period, proper climate, estimated yields and strain consumption effects.
Cannabis seeds ordered through Crop King Seeds arrive quickly in Canada, typically between 2 – 5 days depending upon the option you choose and the region you live. Bigger cities tend to get packages quicker as they are delivery hubs for national shipping. Crop King Seeds is native to Canada with offices in Vancouver and their brand offers 100% guarantee on germination when you buy cannabis seeds, so you can rest assured your investment is protected.
Review of Crop King Seeds:
- Pros and Cons
- Types of Seeds
- Crop King Seeds Shipping
- Pricing
- Payments Accepts
- Crop King Seeds Coupons
- Crop King Seeds Affiliates
- Overall Rating (TLDR)
- Review Chart
- Crop King Seeds Infographic
Pros:
- Over 400 cannabis seed variations
- Lots of autoflower and most seeds are feminized
- Consistent inventory
- Tons of unique cross strains
- Lots of seasonal sales
- Free shipping (ships from Vancouver) on orders over $200
- Mix and match seed packs
- Germination guarantee
- Local Canadian support
- Bitcoin accepted
Cons:
- Could use a few more attributes to filter the catalog when browsing for new strains
- Mixed reviews online. Although we have always found good genetics behind our seeds, others have shared their displeasure with their experiences on our social media, we’ll let you be the judge as the community seems quite split on experiences.
Types of Cannabis Seeds at Crop King Seeds
Autoflower Seeds
Crop King Seeds currently has 92 autoflower seeds for sale and a big variety of notable local strains to the Western Canada regions, and a massive variety of cross strains and hybrids you’ve probably never seen.
If you’re new to autoflowering seeds, these are the varieties that transform into the flowering stage automatically, without turning the lights. These are genetically modified strains that each have a distinct flowering period that typically range around week 6 give or take a few. Autoflowering plants are said to be genetically modified to adapt quicker, making the general growing experience better for beginners and require less maintenance.
Feminized Seeds
With feminized cannabis seeds you can be sure that you’re getting a female plant (the plant needed to produce buds) with each and every germinated seed. If you’re looking to grow purely for the flower, feminzed seeds will not only save the bank, but it will also protect your crop from hermaphrditing as regular seed packs could contain male genetics. A male plant will put all of your plants at risk, and this is avoided when you buy feminized seeds.
At the time of writing this article Crop King Seeds is stocking 274 different strains of feminized seeds, nearly their whole catalogue has been feminized. One cool attribute I noticed on each strain page is the percentage of ruderalis in the makeup of each strain. Ruderalis is the type of cannabis bred with a cannabis strain to product it’s feminized reproductive characteristics.
AutoFEM Seeds
AutoFEM seeds are exactly as they are described. These are a seed variety genetically modified to produce only feminine genetics with auto-flowering traits. That means that your seeds should all produce female plants, resulting in bud development from a flowering stage that the plant reaches automatically, regardless of natural light cycles.
CBD Seeds
CBD seeds might be the best choice if you’re growing a strain for it’s medical properties. Authentically pure CBD strains tend to be hard to come by and Crop King Seeds is currently stocking 8 variations of CBD dominant cannabis strain seeds.
Regular Marijuana Seeds
Crop King regular seeds are just what they sound like; no autoflower or feminized properties. You have a chance of male or female genetics and seeds will turn cycles based on your lighting preferences.
Crop King Seeds Coupons
- Free shipping on all orders over $200
- Mix and match seed packs
- Save when you buy bigger quantities
- Orders over $420 get a free 10 pack of seeds
Shipping at Crop King Seeds
Two shipping methods are available to Canadians looking for cannabis seeds from Crop King Seeds.
Regular Shipping: 2-14 Business Days | $10
Express Shipping: 2-7 | $30-$60
Free shipping applies to all orders over $200 and Express Shipping allows you to track your package every step of the way. As mentioned on the website, seeds ship from Vancouver. so if you’re in a bigger city, it’s often that your package will arrive well before the estimated date.
Prices
The price point of Crop King Seeds is super competitive in the Canadian market. While you’re going to pay more for autoflowering, CBD, feminized or any specialty seeds, that’s typically given as the research and development to develop these strains isn’t always cheap.
Crop King Seeds autoflower, feminized and CBD strains tend to start at around $65 for 5 seeds ($13.00 / seed), and $240 for 25 seeds ($9.60 / seed). Regular seeds start at $40 for 5 seeds ($8.00 each) through $140 for 25 seeds ($5.60 / seed). Mix and match packs tend to be priced consistently with an entire pack of the similar type of seed.
Pair this up with a free 10 seeds on orders over $420 and you’re getting great value at higher quantity orders.
Speaking of prices, do you have a crop that you’re proud of? Learn how to sell pictures online for money, that’s right – sell images of your weed plants and crop while you sleep!
Types of Payment Accepted
After reviewing a few marijuana seed sites, it seems that not all companies offer a variety of payment options. Most offer interac, or credit or cryptocurrency. Crop King Seeds kills it in the payments department. The Canadian seed company has extended their payment processing to all major credit cards including American Express, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, Paypal, Cash, Interac and Venmo.
Crop King Seeds Affiliates
Crop King Seeds affiliates offer you a way to share their products with your social circle and earn revenue in return. At a 20% commission level, Crop King Seeds affiliates are some of the best paying and converting seeds affiliates available to Canadians. Users can monitor their success by clicks and conversions with live updates and an easy to navigate affiliate dashboard.
Crop King Seeds Review: TLDR
As mentioned above, we’ve been customers of Crop King Seeds for years and they’ve given us a good experience overall. Their pricing is competitive, the inventory is consistent, and there’s always a variety to choose from. The seed selection comes along with all the resources you need to find a strain that will work well with the climate in your region.
With a Canadian office you can ensure Canadian support and a high level of quality should issues arise. We’ve had 1 instance in which we needed to contact support, and their email staff had our questions solved within the first 24 hours of contact. All packages have arrived ahead of schedule and we’ve been happy with all the genetics we’ve experimented with. Crop King Seeds guarantees 24/7 live chat support online, so if you have any questions regarding your purchases, this is generally a good place to get started.
Tracking numbers, thousands of happy customers across Canada and germination guarantees leave this Crop King Seeds review with a positive outlook and a $20 coupon for your first order. Click the link below to get started.
In the future the only recommendation for Crop Kind Seeds would be to improve the seed attributes on the product catalog so we could easily filter seeds based on a few more factors that are already included on the product pages such as yield, hybrid percentages, medical benefits, cannabinoid levels or whatever it may be.
by extract
XVAPE Vista Mini 2 Review – A Look at XVAPE’S Electronic Portable Vaporizer
June 24, 2020 in Dabs, Products
The XVAPE Vista Mini 2 arrived two weeks ago, and let me tell you, we’ve been really baked since then. I love this portable vaporizer. And I’m not just saying that; Our Vista Mini 2 review tested this electronic dab rig for durability, hoot control, customization, battery power and a few other important areas. We’ve written a handful of product reviews on mobile dab devices in the past such as the Yocan Torch, but this is a complete, all-in-one desktop vaporizer device, and it’s badass.
Let’s dive in.
In The XVAPE Vista Mini 2 Review:
- In the box
- Dimensions
- Charger & Battery
- Hoot Review
- Durability
- Main Features
- Perfect for
- Overall Rating
XVAPE hit the mark on so many features we will go through below, but I really like the ease of use. The electronics are color coated, that means the Vista Mini 2 lights up a specific color to represent the setting it’s on.
The hoots travel through a long airway as well as water, making this rig, for it’s size, one of the coolest hoots on the market for electronic vaporizers. The limitation in heat might not meet everyone’s requirements, but 9.5 out of 10 cannabis consumers are going to find the customizations on this device meet their needs. If you’re looking for a massive cloud, stick to your titanium nail.
Awesome features such as a visually appealing overall look, solid base, 4 adjustable heat settings, quick heat up and more make this a serious competitor to standalone electronic vaporizers similar to the PUFFCO Peak.
TAKE 10% OFF YOUR MINI VISTA 2 HERE!
What’s in the Vista Mini 2 Box?
- Smell proof carry case
- Water glass / base
- 2 ceramic atomizers
- Rubber seals and connector pieces
- Cleaning kit
- Dab Tool
- Glass mouth piece
- Glass carb cap
- USB Charger
XVAPE Vista Mini 2 Dimensions
The Vista Mini 2 is well, as it name states – it’s mini. For a quick comparison it stands a little taller than a cola can, and with the mouth piece attached it’s total height sits about 4 inches taller than a pop can. It’s a compact device that comes pretty light weight, but heavy enough to maintain that quality feeling.
After an expensive vape device becomes too lightweight I feel like the durability is perceived to be lower, and that’s certainly not the case with the Vista Mini 2. This has been designed with a heavier base, so it’s not going to tip over and it feels like it’s made good.
Dimensions: 12 cm x 4.8 cm x 4.8 cm with the extendable mouth piece attached.
This devices is small enough for a purse, or a muse but not really a pocket. This is a device that is perfect for someone who is frequently dabbing on the go in different rooms of their house. If you’re a frequent mover, this could add value to your day, as you don’t really need to carry a tray for all the parts, they naturally fit on to the device or have a connector piece. As well, the dab tool that comes along with the portable dab rig is a key chain, so you will never find yourself needing additional hands.
Leaving the house?
XVAPE included the perfect size smellyproof case equip with foam inserts and padding, so you don’t have to worry about the bumps and bruises when it leaves home. The case isn’t much bigger then my hand and will fit fine in anyone’s glove-box or small messenger bag.
Another positive that comes with a dab rig that breaks down into multiple pieces? If something breaks, it’s typically easily replaced. The Vista Mini 2 breaks down into a number of pieces, and that works in it’s favor considerably when it comes to cleaning. Little nooks or crannies for resin to fall into makes cleaning it so much easier; not to mention, XVAPE includes all the tools to clean yours with each Vista Mini 2.
TAKE 10% OFF YOUR MINI VISTA 2 HERE!
Mini Vista 2 Battery & Charger
Charger
Another on of my favorite features is not only the fact that the XVAPE Vista Mini 2 uses a standard USB charger, it also has a wireless receiver, so you can use your wireless charger on your vape as well as your cellphone. Using two chargers that nearly everyone has at their house is a huge benefit as someone usually has a cable to lend out, or you can grab a substitute at most gas stations.
For the wired USB charger, the actual plugin to the device is sturdy. After two weeks ours has shown no wear and tear. A common problem with most vape products is the quality of the battery adapter, an issue that usually requires warranty phone calls, mailing devices across the country and it’s just not a fun process, even if it’s compensated for. No worries with the Vista Mini 2 in this area, the connection for the charger remains strong and it hasn’t shifted on the device even the slightest bit.
Battery
A 2000mah 5V or 500mAh battery powers each bowl for 35 seconds at a time. We found 35 seconds enough for 2 people to take 2 hoots without rushing, and that works fine, as you literally click it once again and it fires back up.
A fully charged battery lasts 60 hoots according to the website, and our tests verified that number is between the 60 and 70 range. The battery is so powerful it only takes about 10 seconds to heat the device up and take your dab; that makes the Vista Mini 2 one of the quickest available on the market, and by far our favorite.
When the battery is low the red power button will flash giving you a heads up. Another nice feature of this battery is the automatic turnoff feature. After sitting undisturbed for 2 minutes your Vista Mini 2 will go to sleep itself.
Hoot review
The hoot quality on XVAPES Vista Mini 2 is a 9/10. The only real beef is being locked into 4 settings. I know this is enough for 99% of dabbers, but there’s always going to be the group that needs that exact temperature displayed, and complete variability. With that being said, 4 settings is great for us and the hoot quality of the dabs we’ve had is amazing.
Once the glass base is filled with water and the mouthpiece is attached, the extended length and exposure to water cools the vape hoot substantially.
For those unaware, most vape rigs, and portable vape pens are sending your lungs a lot of hot vapour quick, and it dries them out – leading to heavy coughs and potentially concerning medial issues. Cooling your hoots before they reach your lungs is going to be a noticeably better experience. And that’s what the Vista Mini 2 does. In this small device they’ve extended the airflow path to reach a cool temperature before your mouth, allowing users to really taste the product and reduce coughing and stress on your lungs.
XVAPE Durability
Glass makes up for 3 parts of the Vista Mini 2 – The Water Base, Carb cap and the extendable mouthpiece. The glass seems to be quite thick and strong so it’s not as fragile as some options on the market. XVAPE definitely considered the materials when constructing the base and glass accessories on this device as everything is withstanding the elements of what we’ve thrown at it. I’ve brought this unit out with me on multiple occasions and thus far, no dents or dings, and everything is still working in mint condition.
Main Features of the Vista Mini 2 Vape
4 Adjustable levels each with LED lighting
The adjustable element on this is part of the reason the Vista Mini 2 is such a great alternative. There’s 4 settings to choose from:
- Red: HOT – Temp: 400C / 752F
- Blue: MEDIUM – 350C / 662F
- Green: COOL – 320C / 608F
- White: LOW TEMP – 280C / 536F
For those that haven’t used an adjustable temp device, and you’re used to a blow torch or uncontrolled temp of a vape pen, the reason this is important; different extracts, well they burn at different temperatures. So a dab of rosin might be better at a lower temp than a dab of shatter. A dab of RSO might come in at a lower temp than that. And the burning temp of extracts are important. If you want to enjoy the full flavor profile of your extracts and get the most active THC, you’re going to want to learn the perfect setting for your extracts and the terpenes within.
TAKE 10% OFF YOUR MINI VISTA 2 HERE!
Wired and Wireless Charging
The XVAPE Vista Mini 2 is equip with two options for charging, while that’s an awesome feature I really like that XVAPE included it in the Mini model, as it’s kind of designed to be a mobile dab rig. With mobile, convenience is key. And as cannabis consumers, we’re going to forget something one time or another, and adding another option really adds to the chances there’s a compatible charger around you wherever you are.
2 Ceramic atomizers included
The Vista Mini 2 comes with 2 atomizers, one for use, and one for backup in the smelly proof XVAPE kit that comes with your vape unit. I’ve read mixed reviews online about the choice to go ceramic, but I personally like the choice.
Extendable mouthpiece
The glass mouthpiece is the part of the Mini 2 that makes the bubbler / water bowl functional, as the device is so small it’s a hard task to keep that water from bubbling to high, but the Vista Mini 2 solves that problem perfectly. The extendable mouth piece comes with a 45 degree angle and is curved for hoot convenience, and to take your head away from the heated element when it’s functioning.
Customization’s and accessories
The XVAPE Vista Mini 2 has a number of decently priced addons and accessories in the form of coils, mouth pieces and different attachments for variable concentrate products. The original XVAPE took me quite a while to get assembled the first time, but the fact that each piece disassembles really makes the market endless for addons, spare parts and customizations. In the XVAPE shop you will find additional bubblers, mouth pieces, coils, batteries, cases and more.
A carb cap is included and it’s pretty useful. XVAPE added a shotgun on the carb cap so instead of the need to manually pull it off everytime, you just fasten it, and use the top as a shotgun and place or remove your finger as need be.
Smellproof carrying case
What’s not to love about a case that’s completely smell proof (great for herbs as well) case designed to keep your vape in perfect condition. Not to mention, equip with a complete cleaning kit and charger? All this is barely the size of my full hand, and a great addition that will help you vape in crazy spots, and keep your Vista Mini 2 in pristine condition.
More features listed on their website
- 4 LED indicated heat settings
- Wireless & USB charging capabilities
- Portable Compact Size
- AIO Crystal Quartz Atomizer with short circuit protection
- Haptic Feedback
- Hand-blown Borosilicate Detachable Glass Bubbler
- Full glass discovery carb cap
- 60 dab average battery life
- Lightning Fast 10 second heat-up time
- Impact Resistant and Smell-proof Carrying Case
The XVAPE Vista Mini 2 Is Perfect For
This portable vaporizer is perfect for such a wide variety of demographics, so we’re going to give you guys a handful of situations or events we think the Vista Mini 2 is perfect for.
The XVAPE Vista Mini 2 is perfect for someone who is looking to dab in different rooms throughout their house frequently, someone who needs a hoot in the back yard or on the front porch as it’s pretty high tech and discreet looking.
It’s also perfect for on the go, or to leave in you’re car when you hit the movies, gym, a brunch or an event with friends. This would be perfect for in your golf bag, on the beach or to bring with you to a hotel or on a holiday.
XVAPE made the perfect portable vaporizer for a hit at a music event, or when you’re out drafting your NFL pool (if sports ever start up again). I would definitely pack my Vista Mini 2 for a poker night or if you head over to a buddies to jam a few rounds of COD, and honestly; this a good vape… for pretty much any situation if you’re around a power source to give it some extra juice here and there.
TAKE 10% OFF YOUR MINI VISTA 2 HERE!
Vista Mini 2 Review: Overall impressions and last words
The XVAPE Vista Mini 2 gets our stamp of approval and it’s worth a try if you’re frequently on the go. Our Vista Mini 2 review found that the battery power of this portable vaporizer is great, and depending on the setting you’re using, a full charge will last upwards of 60 hoots.
The hoots come nice and chilled to your lungs as XVAPE has maximized the space on this device with hoot quality in mind. Four variable settings are perfect for different types of extracts and terpene profiles, and we quite enjoyed the LED display that compliments each.
The XVAPE Vista Mini 2 is built well, with durable thick glass, and a heavy base that helps the unit stand up strong. Quality components ensure your charger adapter remains in place, even with lots of use and the availability of wireless charging is a cool feature that remains unique to the XVAPE line of portable vaporizers.
by extract
GOOD BUDS LAUNCHES WHOLE FLOWER CONCENTRATES IN ALBERTA
June 24, 2020 in Business, Dabs, Products
For Immediate Release
Family Producer Debuts Long-Awaited Concentrates For the Chronic
Salt Spring Island, BC – GOOD BUDS Company Inc., a craft cannabis producer from Salt Spring Island, BC, proudly announces the launch of top-shelf, solventless concentrates after gaining final licensing approval from Health Canada. Solventless live resin hash, dry hash and flower rosin will now join the GOOD BUDS “Chronic Series” lineup in retailers across Alberta. With THC levels ranging from 55 to 80 percent, these long-awaited extracts deliver high potency, quality and flavour.
All GOOD BUDS concentrates are made from fresh frozen or hang-dried whole buds grown in organic living soils, and extracted using all natural methods like ice water extraction, dry sift or heated press. While hands-on and time-consuming, this is part of the GOOD BUDS mission to deliver top-shelf products for the discerning cannabis consumer.
“Retailers and consumers in Canada have been waiting a long time for 2.0 products that can compete with black market quality,” said Tyler Rumi, Co-Founder and CEO of GOOD BUDS. “We’ve focused our energy on making top-shelf concentrates like live resin hash, dry hash and flower rosin, that strive to speak to the chronic consumer, and honour these legacy products that are rich in history and flavour.”
For more information on GOOD BUDS concentrates and extraction processes, visit goodbudsco.com/chronic-series.
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About GOOD BUDS Company Inc.
Founded by brothers, Tyler and Alex Rumi in 2017, GOOD BUDS has quickly grown into a family of professionals with a relentless focus on quality and sustainable cultivation. The company grows exclusively on Salt Spring Island, BC, next to the Pacific Ocean’s Salish Sea. GOOD BUDS sells flower, pre-rolls, and solventless concentrates into select Canadian recreational markets. To learn more, visit us at Goodbudsco.com or @goodbudsco on Instagram.
For more information, high-res images or to request an interview please contact:
Sierra Percy-Beauregard | sierra.pb@goodbudsco.com
by extract
Buy Cannabis Seeds Online in Canada – The Best Cannabis Seed Shops 2020
June 23, 2020 in Growing, Products, Weed
Buy Cannabis Seeds in Canada
Compare online cannabis seed shops in Canada
Here’s a quick guide on the best cannabis seed shops online. The first section shares cannabis seed shops that ship across Canada. The second part breaks down cannabis see shops online that are available to each province. Check below to learn about the different types of cannabis seeds including indica, sativa, indica dominant, sativa dominant, hybrids, autoflowering seed and feminzed seeds.
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Crop King SeedsCrop King Seeds is known for their high quality genetics, quick delivery and high germination rate. Crop King Seeds always has a number of autoflower seeds and a huge selection of unique cross strains not found on other online seed shops.
Best for: Unique cross strains and autoflowering genetics Notable Seeds: Nothern Lights, White Widow Autoflower, Lambs Breath Autoflower, Banana Kush Autoflower, OG Kush Autoflower, Skunk Autoflower, Purple Haze, Northern Lights x Big Bud, Purple Kush, Purple Haze seeds.
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Marijuana Seeds NLMarijuana Seeds NL has a great selection of cannabis seeds for all type of growing and they neatly divide them so you can get a feel for the strains better suited for indoor vs outdoor growing environments
Best For: Finding strains based on indoor or outdoor settings Notable Seeds: White Widow, Ice, Bubble Gum, Purple Widow, AK47, Big Bud, Cotton Candy Kush, Candy Bud, Early Misty, Durban Poison, Nitro Lemon Haze, Hash Plant, Purple Power, Pineapple Kush, Strawberry Cough and LA Confidential seeds.
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I Love Growing MarijuanaI Love Growing Marijuana isn’t just a seed shop, it’s a marijuana growing culture. You’re not just going to find an insane variety of seeds, but grow kits, guides, online resources (over 200 grow guides) and print resources that will help anyone in every stage of growth. This website has a filter feature that will help you choose seeds by region factors such as climate, yield, plant size and more.
Best For: Those looking to expand their growing wisdom and finding strains based on yield and climate. Notable Strains: Gold Leaf Feminized, Chocolope, Bruce Banner, Strawberry Cough, Pineapple Haze, Banana Kush, Granddaddy Purple, Blackberry Kush Feminized, LSD Feminized, Black Widow Feminized, LA Confidential, Bubba Kush Seeds. Visit I Love Growing Marijuana
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Ministry of CannabisMinistry of Cannabis has a smaller selection than some of the other options, but a great catalog of high quality genetics. A number of the seeds found on the Ministry of Cannabis are exotic seeds and not found on other websites.
Best For: Unique strain selection Noteable Strains: Big Bud XXL Feminized, CBD Star Feminized, Gods Glue Feminized, Momacitas Cookies Feminized, Ultra White Gelato Feminized, Mandarin Gelato Feminized, Zensational Feminized, Auto Gods Glue, Auto Northern Lights seeds.
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Growers Choice SeedsGrowers Choice Seeds is known for their extremely high quality genetics and unique strains. They have a high number of CBD strains which are quite sought after genetics.
Best For: CBD seed selection Noteable Strains: Gorilla Glue, Diesel, Blueberry Kush, CBD Blueberry, CBD Critical Mango, Fruity Pebbles, Grape Ape, CBD Moby Dick
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Pacific Seed BankPacific Seed Bank is a great seed dispensary for those looking to base their decision on medical cannabis usecases. Their filter system neatly breaks down medical ailments, and users can choose cannabis strains based on benefits they offer. The Pacific Seed Bank has a huge selection of different cannabis seeds – over 600 at the time of writing this article.
Best For: The biggest selection of seeds and unique strain genetics on the market. Noteable Strains: 707 Headband, 9 Pound Hammer, AK-48, Agent Orange, Alien OG, Alpha Blue, Animal Cookies, Big Devil, Big Buddha Cheese, Black Cherry, Black Jack, Black Rhino, Blue Blood, Blue Dream, Blue Dynamite, White Kush, White Fire Alien OG, Zen CBD, Yeti OG seeds
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Autoflower Seeds 
Buy Cannabis Seeds
Where to buy cannabis seeds in Canada
Here’s a few websites that will help you with where to buy cannabis seeds in Canada online by each province. We noticed a few trends, mainly general unavailability of seeds as a whole, lack of inventory or selection. Across all 13 regions we came across a total of 5 strains from select licensed producers.
Where to Buy Cannabis in Each Provence & Territory
| Region | Website | Autoflower | Feminized | Strains | In Stock |
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| Alberta | albertacannabis.org | ❌ | ❌ | Indica | ✔️ |
| British Columbia | bccannabisstores.com | ✔️ | ❌ | Sativa / Indica / Hybrid | ✔️ |
| Manitoba | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| New Brunswick | cannabis-nb.com | ❌ | ❌ | Sativa / Indica | ✔️ |
| NFL | shopcannabisnl.com | ❌ | ❌ | Indica | ✔️ |
| NWT | ntlcc-cannabis.ca | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Nova Scotia | cannabis.mynlc.com | ❌ | ❌ | Indica / Sativa | ❌ |
| Nunavut | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Ontario | ocs.ca | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| PEI | peicannabiscord.com | ❌ | ❌ | Indica / CBD | ✔️ |
| Quebec | spdc.ca | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Saskatchewan | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Yukon | cannabisyukon.org | ❌ | ✔️ | Indica | ✔️ |
Types of Cannabis Seeds
Indica Seeds
Indica seeds come from indica strains and display the properties of cannabis strains that are 100% indica in traits. Indica seeds are best for those with limited space as indica strains tend to grow shorter and bushier then sativa strains.
Indica Dominant Seeds
Indica dominant seeds come from hybrid strains that are dominantly indica cannabis in traits, and display mostly indica strain charactoristics.
Sativa Seeds
Sativa seeds come from sativa strains that are nearly 100% cannabis sativa in traits. Sativa strains tend to grow skinnier and taller and produce longer buds than indica strains.
Sativa Dominant Seeds
Sativa dominant seeds come from hybrid strains that are dominantly sativa in characteristics.
CBD Seeds
CBD seeds are cannabis strains of indica, sativa and hybrid decent that posses dominantly CBD as a cannabinoid profile. In these seeds, the CBD ratio will have a larger number for CBD than THC.
Auto Flower Seeds
Auto flower seeds are a type of seed that is bred with the ruderalis type of cannabis, in turn creating a cannabis seed that will automatically flower after a certain duration of time growing. That means it’s not your light cycle that will change the stage of these plants into flowering, these seeds will automatically start flowering after a given period of time.
Feminized Seeds
Feminized seeds are cannabis seeds that have been modified to produce female only plants, in turn producing female only genetics. Feminized seeds give you a high guarantee of getting bud everytime.
Important Considerations
Seeds best for indoor vs outdoor
Certain cannabis strains grow best in certain climates, as well, certain strains handle each atmosphere differently. Some strains will thrive indoors while others require the natural outdoor sunlight to thrive. Some strains might not be resilient enough to handle your local climate, so make sure you choose a strain that works for your grow setup.
Grow cycle
Some strains have a quick grow cycle and reach maximum flowing potential quicker than others. Make sure to consider your optimal cycle length.
Growing climate
Each cannabis strain has a particular climate perfect for it’s optimal growth and most likely resembling it’s native atmosphere. Check out the cannabis strain properties so you can align your environment with the optimal setting for the strain you choose to grow.
Strain yield potential
Yield potentials vary by strain, so make sure to check out the potential of your desired seeds before you grow, this way you can set landmarks and adjust techniques for growth, improving with each crop.
Indica vs sativa
Not only do indica and sativa plants have quite different psycographic effects, both types grow quite differently as well. Indica plants tend to grow smaller and bushier, while sativa plant are taller and skinnier, so you’re going to want to consider the size of your grow space before ordering seeds.
by extract
Mass Layoffs At Aurora Cannabis Upcoming
June 23, 2020 in Business, Growing, Today In Weed
Early June 23, 2020 Reuters announced the Canadian licensed producer Aurora Cannabis will be laying off nearly 30% of it’s entire workforce, aiming to cut costs amid COVID19.
Aurora Cannabis will be slashing administrative, sales and general staff with a 25% reduction, while shrinking their production staff by 30%.
In addition, Aurora Cannabis will shut down 5 cannabis production facilities throughout the next 6 months, citing cashflow problems stemming from recent Caronavirus measures.
The Routers release reports “as the COVID-19 pandemic pummels the cash-crunched cannabis industry” and “The industry has been further hit by the COVID-19 crisis, which has also upended financial markets, making it harder to get investor dollars”.
Legal Canadian cannabis dispensary sales Dec 2019 – April 2020
Cannabis sales across Canada have been strong since the start of 2020, some provinces reporting 30% to over 100% growth since early months of the pandemic.
We took a dive into Aurora Cannabis public financial statements form the past 2 years, and couldn’t really find any indicators that would suggest the immediate cash crunch is due to recent occurrences. Nor any reasons why Aurora would be looking to greatly increase cashflow and equivalents as it seems their strategy has remained consistent for quite some time. Cash and Equivalent has followed similar trends since 2018, the only real spike referring to June 2018 when a significant decrease in cash brought Aurora Cannabis to nearly 30% of their annual averages.
All of Auroras financial statements are public and available here.
by extract
Normalizing Cannabis In Canada With Chef Travis Petersen – Round 2 at the Infused Dining Series
June 8, 2020 in Events, Munchies, Spotlights, Weed
Chef Travis Petersen Is The Masterchef Canada Contestant That if Working To Normalize and Change The Face of Cannabis Across Canada.
If you haven’t heard about the Infused Dining Series it’s time to familiarize yourself with one of Canadian cannabis’ educational culinary experiences.
Two years ago, we were honored to meet Chef Travis Petersen, a Canadian MasterChef contestant, former oilfield executive, and cannabis innovator and entrepreneur. Since, our palates have been lacking, and with our last experience aging, we were delighted to hear that Travis aka the Nomad Cook was coming back to Calgary to host another private dining experience for the Extract Team. We rounded up the troops for round two of a full spectrum cannabis infused dining experience that would showcase just how the cannabis plant can be used in any type of dish with a culinary twist.
“I jokingly applied for Masterchef Canada in 2015 and made the show. After being eliminated in the second episode I returned to my career in Oil and Gas, only to be laid off a month later due to the recession of 2015. Knowing that I was too old to start a culinary career in a professional kitchen I decided to be Nomadic and travel to other people’s kitchens to cook”
Cannabis is important to Travis and his profession on so many levels. The Nomad Cook is transforming exquisite and creative dishes to incorporate all types of cannabis infusion, utilizing multiple cannabinoids and the terpene profiles of each stain to compliment flavors and aromas.
The Infused Dining Experience is a fusion of culinary expertise, cannabis knowledge, and well, good times. Travis transforms your traditional restaurant meal to incorporate all types of cannabinoid and terpene infusion hosted by the Airbnb platform. Traveling across Canada, the Nomad Cook brings the service to you with class and quality.
We spoke to the Nomad Cook one on one and wanted to learn a little bit more about the Nomad moniker.
Travis noted “I’ve always been a Nomad. Since moving out at 15 and traveling the world in between then and now, staying in one place never appealed to me. The theme of the Nomad Cook is Our Chef, Your Kitchen. If a musician or comedian can travel city to city perfecting their craft, then why not a chef”.
The thing about Travis, he’s not just a chef, but a great personality with decades of cannabis knowledge. As you eat, you learn about the delicious dish, how it’s infused, the terpene and cannabinoid profile, and how the cannabis was chosen to pair perfectly with the flavor and aromas of the 5 star dish it’s complimenting. Where some chefs tend to include distillate as a simple way to infuse cannabis into meals without sacrificing the flavor, chef Travis Petersen embraces and educates about the full plant.
“It’s important to cook with all parts of the plant because the different compounds of cannabis support each other and work together. We want to be creating an entourage effect that produces the therapeutic parts of cannabis and terpenes. Terpenes provide the biggest opportunity to introduce cannabis to a demographic that doesn’t understand why someone would want cannabis in their food”
The Infused Dining Experience is an opportunity to come together with your friends, meet new faces and share good times around common hobbies and well amazing food.
Travis is a presenter at heart and he keeps the room engaged. A mix of decarbed cannabis, extracts, fresh flowers, and full plant grinds makes this a full spectrum infused meal that offers the full benefits of the cannabis plant as we know it.
The Infused Dining Experience has been a Canadian exclusive event for roughly 2 years. Travis has brought his expertise to small functions, private events and corporate bookings across Canada, sharing his near decade and a half of experience with cannabis connoisseurs along the way. How it works is simple. As Travis mentioned above, he is known for being the Nomad Cook for a reason. Traveling province to province, city to city, Travis uses popular social media channels like Instagram to share announcements and locations. You can keep tabs on where he is, and when he will be in your city, but you have to be diligent, these dinners fill up fast.
“The Nomad Cooks dinners help normalize infused dining because we provide an experience that contradicts stoner culture. People may come to a dinner party just because they want to get high but they leave with some education, a full belly and new friendships. For every successful event The Nomad Cook hosts, we are one step closer to normalizing their cuisines”
While the food is important, Travis adds attention to detail when it comes to setting and atmosphere.
So what can you expect at the Infused Dining Series?
Once you’ve got your foot in the door with bookings, you’re good to go. Travis is the man when it comes to picking the perfect location. We’ve been limited to dining experiences within the Calgary area, each time a booking downtown with an amazing view of the city in an upper-class condo – another fun touch. The Nomad Cook likes to keep the location a secret until the day of the event which adds to the mystery and prestige of these nights.
Travis is guaranteed to choose the perfect quiet location that showcases the beauty and the heart of each city. It helps inspire the mood and of course the custom regional menu designed with the local culture and season in mind.
For those familiar with the beautiful city of Calgary Alberta Canada, this dining series was situated kitty-corner to the Calgary Saddledome with a gorgeous video of the Bow River, and an empty Stampede Grounds, something that hasn’t happened in the last near-century.
The evening begins with a quick meet and greet. The Nomad Cook and Masterchef Canada contestant takes time to go around the room and introduce himself and his assistant, introduce the menu and set the mood for the evening. From there, we let the good times roll and started to dig in.
The word infused can sometimes get lost in translation. While some chefs are using distillate for it’s flavorless profile, the full benefit of the cannabis plant easily gets lost. This is not the case with Travis.
Menu from Round 2 with the Nomad Cook below.
The Nomad Cook is diligent with pushing the boundaries of cannabis infusion in each dish. Using the full plant and certain extracts in creative ways, Travis is conscious of the entourage effect, and the potential that comes with utilizing both cannabinoid and terpene profiles together.
- Sesame Wasabi Crusted Lamb Lollipop, Crisp Rainbow Carrots & an Infused Balsamic Soy Reduction
- BC Spot Prawn Ceviche, Grapefruit, Pomegranate Seeds, Jalapeno, Avocado &
- Coconut Chips & Scallions
- Crispy Skin Halibut, Purple Asparagus, Pickled Radish &
- an Infused Mint Pea Nage with Beta-Pinene
- Pistachio & Cannabis Essence Ice Cream, Infused Praline Bowl, Blackberry Gastrique & Maragan Dark Chocolate
- Sesame Wasabi Crusted Lamb Lollipop, Crisp Rainbow Carrots & an Infused Balsamic Soy Reduction
- BC Spot Prawn Ceviche, Grapefruit, Pomegranate Seeds, Jalapeno, Avocado &
- Coconut Chips & Scallions
- Crispy Skin Halibut, Purple Asparagus, Pickled Radish &
- an Infused Mint Pea Nage with Beta-Pinene
- Pistachio & Cannabis Essence Ice Cream, Infused Praline Bowl, Blackberry Gastrique & Maragan Dark Chocolate
I think everyone was ecstatic to be out of the house and in a social setting, of course, everyone’s health was top priority. Both chefs had approved facemasks, and tables were decorated with sanitizer bottles. We talked to Travis a little bit about how he felt COVID19 had transformed his business as of late.
Travis responded “COVID19 has canceled all large events and has forced us to accelerate our product line of infused cooking ingredients. In a couple of months, we won’t be offering private dinners or doing pop-ups but will be focusing on education and our products. So If you haven’t been to a Nomad dinner before I suggest jumping at the opportunity this summer”.
I agree with Travis’ response, there’s a lot of uncertainties that come with times like this and it’s a good time to diversify when you offer a service based on social interaction. In my opinion, has COVID19 changed events like this in the future? A little bit, but not with the extremities that you would imagine. I think as a whole it’s a time where we’re a little more conscious of healthy behaviors, and that can be used in a positive way. The whole experience felt like a separation from all the crazy global news lately, and that’s something a lot of us need for at least a few hours.
Travis is normalizing cannabis with creative projects
Here’s what he’s up to
A few of the products and projects the Nomad Cook had mentioned above include some pretty landmark achievements. Travis has a cookbook that’s currently in the works. The focus? To introduce the full benefits of cannabis as a superfood. This comes complete with a terpene spotlights, details on specific oils, baking techniques and a whole bunch of culinary cannabis wisdom.
For those looking to learn live, check out the Nomad Cooks Instagram @the_nomadcook.Travis regularly goes live featuring other chefs from around the world, collabing on live seminars, and tutorials targeting beginner through advanced cannabis chefs. Coming in July, The Nomad Cook is launching a virtual cooking lesson series. Each lesson has room for 20 and will detail how to make extractions, dosing and whole bunch of quality cannabis knowledge.
by extract
Cannabis Inspired Art From The End of The World: The Contemporary Creations of Patagonia Artist Julian Bustos
May 19, 2020 in Art, Products, Spotlights, Today In Weed
Julian Bustos is a low key artist that resides deep in Patagonia.
When our team came across his work, we were instantly captivated by the unique emotion depicted on each canvas. Julian isn’t your typical painter, artist or online creative, but a guru of digitally remastering art-book drawings, using both traditional and contemporary techniques. He’s a family man that lives a conservative life as an artist of the new age and one with a story and inspiration that you’re going to love.
Here’s a little about Julian Bustos and his journey as a cannabis inspired artist gaining traction for his unique creativity around the world. Before we get started head over to @julian.bustos.art on Instagram to check out his creations.
“Art is a powerful tool for transmitting messages, and I think that fighting to give this sacred plant the place it deserves is something worthwhile”
Thanks for chatting with us Julian!
Tell us a little bit about yourself, history and how you started getting involved making digital art?
Thank you. The truth is that I have spent my whole life dedicating myself to art, perfecting myself, learning new techniques, use of color, etc. But the truth is that the most difficult part to learn in art is the purpose, the what and why to draw. Over the years you learn that once you master art as you always dreamed of, and that you can draw anything you want, the big question is presented to you: and now what will you draw? And there, I discovered that art can be used to transmit really important messages, that as an artist you have a commitment to what you do, since whatever you do will inevitably leave a mark on your society, good or bad, but the image always goes directly to the soul of the other and leave his message
Julian is a guru of digitally remastering drawings with a popular image editing software named Adobe Photoshop.
For those who aren’t really aware, what is Photoshop, or digital art, and what does it entail?
I am very romantic and conservative with those things. I really need the noise of the pencil on the sheet, the connection with the paper, I really like traditional techniques. But sometimes there are colors that in painting are almost impossible to get, or extremely expensive because you only get it with top brands, and in photoshop you get them with a single click. Photoshop allows you to access impossible visual effects with traditional techniques, unreal colors, and that opens new horizons in art. I always try to find a balance between the old and the new, to draw on paper and use Photoshop only to paint.
Digital art adds a little technology to the creative process.
How does digital art find inspiration from traditional painting or drawing?
I have a lot of respect and admiration for traditional artists. At first it was difficult to me to accept and respect digital art and digital artists, but over time I could understand that digital art is just one more tool that allows the artist to express himself. I admire the expressive possibilities that digital art offers, I have seen really incredible things. The important thing is in the message that you want to transmit, the medium is secondary. But, I think, the more techniques you can master, the richer you become, more versatile.
Photoshop should be a choice, and not the only thing you know how to use.
Julian has found attention from the top cannabis media publications around the world.
I saw one of your pieces shared on the High Times Instagram profile. Have you had any other notable mentions or media attention?
The most important award I won was the 2nd prize for Natural Cannabis High art 2019, where I was able to finish 2nd among participants from more than 160 countries. I also have several prizes in national competitions for painting, ceramics, photography, even comic books.
I live in a small city called Bariloche at the end of the world, in the middle of Argentine Patagonia, 1600km (990 miles) from the closest big city. It’s really hard to make yourself known and living of art from so far away. Instagram helped me a lot to make myself known to the world
We noticed that you have a few past pieces that don’t feature a cannabis focus, but the majority of your pieces have some herbal influence.
Can you tell us how you got into the cannabis theme, why and what the motivation behind your unique creative touch?
The most interesting commissions began to appear after the award for natural cannabis. Entheogens and psychedelic culture is a subject that interests me a lot, and winning that award allowed me to access a new public, more related to the culture of cannabis and cultivation, entheogens and even cactus growers. And then I started receiving much more interesting job offers, related to cannabis culture, cacti, psychedelics, music,etc. In this way I was able to dedicate myself entirely to making illustrations than I absolutely enjoy creating.
Art is a powerful tool for transmitting messages, and I think that fighting to give this sacred plant the place it deserves is something worthwhile. I also try to emphasize the art and the pleasure of cultivating, it is something very important that we have lost as society and that with cannabis people who have never touched the earth in their lives gradually begin to understand how important and pleasant it is to see grow a plant that you planted yourself. There are many positive values that are being rediscovered, and with which we must work for future generations.
“Cannabis makes you break that creative routine, to stop repeating the same creative patterns over and over, and find a new way”
You have a really cool color scheme, I find it evokes emotion to accompany the image we’re viewing.
Did you do this on purpose?
Absolutly yes, the color is sometimes more important than the drawing. The color generates sensations, emotions, memories, and this helps the image reachs not only the eyes but the heart. You could write an entire book on the relationship of color and the human soul. It is a subject that I am very passionate about, the functioning of the soul. In fact I spend more time reading books on spirituality than art. There are the real answers about art. Art is the purest language of the soul
We appreciate the unique style, themes and messages that are conveyed in your art.
How does cannabis influence your creative process?
Cannabis is a very powerful tool. Saramago said “… sometimes you think you have a thousand ideas, and then you realize that you were simply going a thousand times around the same idea …”, well, cannabis makes you break that creative routine, to stop repeating the same creative patterns over and over, and find a new way. It is like a deprogramming tool to be able to see a new possibilities, new thought horizons. It can definitely enrich your potential. It helps a lot to silence the mind and let the soul just express itself.
I think sacred plants can help you to understand who you really are, to see where are you, to understand your society and your place in it, and to see to where are you going. And that is a good reason to make it illegal for some people I think.
“My main advice: do not waste time with netflix, facebook or video games, use that time to do something that enriches you, such as reading, meditating or doing some sport, and above all to practice and practice”
Keeping the mind focused on certain tasks can always be a challenge.
Have you ever found cannabis to cloud the process, or is it all positive?
Sometimes it happens to me that I say “tonight I am going to smoke and draw all night”, and then it turns out that I did everything but drawing. I end up meditating, playing with my daughter, reading, cooking. Cannabis helps you focus on the present, to really enjoy what you are doing, to be in the here and now. And sometimes you discover that everyday things become magical, than that book you had thrown months ago was incredible, that the moment you spend with your daughter is unique and unrepeatable, that the act of cooking is almost sacred. And the drawing sometimes passes to a second level of priorities. (Which is not good if you have to hurry with an important work for tomorrow)
For artists who are looking to use cannabis for it’s full creative potential.
How do you find inspiration in cannabis, what tips can you give other artists on achieving the most potential when using cannabis in the creative process?
My main advice: do not waste time with netflix, facebook or video games, use that time to do something that enriches you, such as reading, meditating or doing some sport, and above all to practice and practice.
And about cannabis, It is a difficult answer. The relationship with cannabis is something very personal. The potential you can extract from it depends on many factors, habits, and your personality. First you have to find yourself. For me cannabis it is not a drug, but a sacred plant, like ayahuasca or mushrooms, and it must be treated with respect and moderation. If you know how to ask for help to the plant and you listen to it, it will help you to discover new horizons of your potential. But, you have to do you part too. It´s not that you will become a good artist just for smoking weed
The effects of cannabis differ depending upon the strain you choose.
What strains do you find work well for boosting creativity?
I smoke classic strains, a Jack Herrer, and a Destroyer x white widow cross, they are my favorites. Always with my old DaVinci vape.
We wanted to share you art and the process with our readers.
Can you take us through the process of making a project from start to finish?
The hardest part is thinking about the idea, the concept. It is necessary to define what sensations and message I want to share, what emotions to generate. Then create a character and a scene according to the message we want to create. It begins with several sketches in black pencil. Generally I try never to stick with the first idea. Once the concept has been agreed with the client, I begin to draw in ink on paper on a large sheet. Then it is scanned and the process of painting it digitally begins.
I really like to work on the small details, even if you believes that no one would ever notice them. I always tell my students that the background must be as important as the main figure. Learning only human figure and leaving the background blank or wanting to solve it with few spots is a common mistake. The background should speaks more than the main character.
I want to say thanks to Julian and his family for taking the time to sit down with the Extract team and give us a look inside his life. At the time of writing this the COVID-19 virus has the world in isolation, not to mention Julian’s family is currently welcoming his new daughter into the world. Congratulations guys 🙂
Check out Julian’s artwork on his Instagram channel @julian.bustos.art.
by extract
The Quarantine Cup 2020
April 19, 2020 in Events, Tech, Today In Weed, Weed
Welcome to the Quarantine Cup 2020. This will be hosted on April 20, 2020 for a full day of 420 activities. The goal is to keep 420 social during these times…. and that we are with $1000 in giveaways from between 1:00 and 6:00 PM MTN standard time.
Join us: https://discord.gg/bKv6BMj
Contests
- Fruit pipe making
- Guess the weight
- COD FFA
- Cannabis Trivia
- Joint Rolling Contest
- Photo Op Contest
- Device Making Contest
- Filter Art Contest
- Strain Trivia
- COD Parkour Race
Prizes
- Gift cards for yocan
- Pipes from Burnt Bowls
- 2 Manday Grooming Prize Packs
- 4 Remo Nutrients Prize Packs
- A scale
- A few months of Discord Nitro
- Bitcoin tips
- Yocan Gift Cards
- Rolling Kits from Beyond Smoking
- $100 in Call of Duty winnings
Channels
- Cannabis: Strain finder, dispensary deals, 420 lobby, cultivation chat, concentrates, culinary and more.
- Lifestyle: Music, art, book club, sports, gambling, streamers, gaming and more.
- Voice and Video: Hot Box (meet random people and blaze or play cannabis tunes), movie theater – stream YouTube videos from your desktop
Features
- Bitcoin and crypotcurrency tipping
- Collab on live music playlists
- Learn about strains by searching them in the strainfinder. Use >search strain name to learn in the chat window
Join us: https://discord.gg/bKv6BMj
