One of the most common questions asked of budtenders is “what’s your highest THC”. An absolutely asinine display of ignorance about this amazing flower.
When you go to the liquor store, are you drawn to the moonshine?
Would you ever walk into a liquor store and ask “what’s the strongest hooch you got?”
Of course not. You would look like some sort of degenerate alcoholic.
The Canadian wine industry is an est 2.2 billion per year. I promise you, it isn’t the strongest wine that is the most sought after. There are courses that take years of training and practice to appreciate all the subtle splendours of a rare bottle. Alcohol content is rarely if ever talked about.
The Canadian beer Industry is an unbelievable 6.03 billion per year. The beers most widely available are only around 5% ABV. That’s a lot of people that are choosing taste, over the quick ick of Bacardi151.
The massive explosion of microbreweries is another example of the enjoyment of an alcoholic beverage for the taste, and not simply its alcohol content. Microbreweries/Pubs with rotating selections curated for aromas, flavours, and so much more than just alcohol content. Even with heavier stouts, porters, and pale ales we aren’t talking about an incredible jump in ABV, and that also isn’t the sole reason for that choice of brew.
We can even discuss a much stronger spirit, like whiskey. The best, most sought after ryes, bourbons, and scotches aren’t the strongest. The best scotches are all so favoured for being meticulously cared for over a lifetime. The years aging give the concoction new scents, and new flavours over time. It is anything but a quick, cheap high. Yet Canadian whiskey alone, domestically, is an estimated 1.766 billion dollar industry.
Why is it then that the cannabis industry finds itself so one dimensional?
Personally, I believe this is a culmination of so many things. I do believe that these two things, that could actually work very synergistically together would go a long way to putting high THC cannabis in the rear view mirror;
Education:
Most of the cannabis industry is so new to this recreational drug, that their education and palate have not matured. We can all remember a time chugging alcohol as a young partier. As we aged, we learned more about our choices, and now each have a personal palate.
Consumption Lounges, and Cannabis Events:
Almost all of my knowledge of wine and spirits came from wine shows, or a scotch tasting. Over the last decade or so I have seen how wine shows have gone from a very small event, to multiple sold out evenings in an event Center, in a row.
As humans, we thirst for knowledge. Especially knowledge of something we enjoy. Consumption lounges, and open cannabis events would go a long way to furthering the knowledge of the general consumer, as well as bettering the industry as a whole.
Another really easy thing we can do as a consumer to educate ourselves, is simply choose where we shop. Smaller, locally owned shops almost always have a much more knowledgeable staff, and they are always much more willing to help and educate you. So head into that small little shop that you have never seen before, and see what you can learn.
When the average consumer is exposed to these kinds of events, and exposed to this kind of knowledge, it is only natural that their consumption habits will change, for the better.
