Could cannabis be the new fruitcake of the holiday season? That’s what Ture Turnbull of Tree House Cannabis would like to see as the calendar approaches the most wonderful time of the year.
“I want these [cannabis] bundles to be the new fruitcake that people give to everybody during the holidays,” Turnbull said.
With Christmas just around the corner, cannabis dispensaries across Massachusetts are a way to shop local and don’t leave you waiting for a package to arrive at your front door.
Turnbull and Wes Ritchie, who recently opened Tree House in Dracut, see cannabis as a gift that can please everyone from the “canna-curious” to the experienced user, particularly given how stressed out most everyone is feeling lately.
Gifting cannabis for the holidays can be more than just wrapping up flower for the weed enthusiast in your family. For people who are worried about stigma, or who haven’t participated in cannabis since the ‘70s, going to a dispensary can be daunting.
That’s why Leah Samura of Yamba Boutique often visits the dispensary for people who don’t feel comfortable, like some of the women at her church. For Samura, giving the gift of cannabis is also about empowering women.
Samura plans to open Yamba Boutique next year, which will be the first 100% black-owned cannabis business in Harvard Square. The location was originally built as a police station in 1864, Samura said.
“Being able to sell cannabis in a location like that, it says a lot,” she said. “It’s a boutique so it’ll be small. It’ll be a location that is geared more toward women and more like the baby boomers, the seniors, those of us who don’t really have an opportunity to have products catered to us. It’s really like a male-dominated industry and I’m really trying to remove that a little bit. “
Jodi Hylton, the product innovation manager at Garden Remedies, said cannabis is a great gift because it allows you to think about a person and what they need.
“If someone has a sweet tooth and really likes great food, give them great food … if someone is a cannabis lover, there’s nothing that they’re going to love more than super-premium flower,” Hylton said. “It just is another tier of really being thoughtful and focused on who you’re gifting.”
Here’s a cannabis gift guide with top choices from Samura, Hylton, and Turnbull and Ritchie.
Leah Samura of Yamba Boutique
Lately, Samura said she’s been feeling giddy about three different products.
First up is apparel from the brand Buy Weed from Women, said Samura, who was wearing a T-shirt from the company.
“People need to go support women in weed. It’s important. There aren’t many of us,” Samura said.
Samura also suggests The Healing Rose, a women-owned business based in Newburyport that Samura sees as a good introduction to cannabis because the products are CBD-infused. She said she often finds herself recommending The Healing Rose’s salves.
And then, merging her passions around cannabis, supporting women and sex empowerment, Samura recommends Purient, which combines natural lubricating oils with an essential cannabis blend.
Samura launched the product with her husband, Sieh Samura, and it’s the first in a line of products called Bedroom Cannabis. While Purient can be used for intimacy and can help with health issues like fibroids and endometriosis, Samura said.
“Cannabis isn’t just in a smoking form. There are many ways to introduce people to cannabis and there are many things to give,” Samura said.
Ture Turnbull and Wes Ritchie of Tree House Craft Cannabis
Turnbull and Ritchie created cannabis bundles for the holiday season, something they think helps customers shop with a specific cause or need in mind. And within the bundles is a handcrafted piece of “canna-art” from Icarus Pipes and Pottery, made by a Tree House employee.
The bundles range from products for the non-consumer or “newbie” to some for “superuser,” they said.
“We sort of thought, let’s start at the most basic place. Let’s start at a place where everyone can participate whether or not you’re a federal worker or whether you’re anything like that,” Ritchie said.
CBD products, like the ones from The Healing Rose, are a way to start out without consuming THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis.
For people who do want THC, Turnbull and Ritchie suggest a cannabis-infused seltzer by Cantrip. Trying a beverage that’s similar to an alcoholic seltzer drink can feel more comfortable for someone new to the industry.
For enthusiasts, they have a package focused on flower.
“For the super users, it’s a volume game,” Ritchie said. “So we packed in a 10 pre-roll pack of choose your favorite pre-roll … we want them to taste some of the best stuff we’ve got and some of the best stuff in the state being made in the coolest way.”
Mederi Flower, grown by a woman-owned company in Holliston through an aqua-phonics method, is something the two co-owners are recommending to customers.
“It’s great to have all of our products made in Massachusetts. We’re kind of a one-stop shop in the sense that you don’t have to worry about Amazon. You can buy bundles or just a product for yourself or for loved ones,” Turnbull said.
Jodi Hylton of Garden Remedies
Starting off with people new to cannabis, Hylton recommends the new nor’easter chocolate bar by Garden Remedies. The bar, which costs between $25 and $30, is topped with nonpareils to add a bit of festivity.
“I’d love if the nor’easter bar is the only nor’easter we have this year,” Hylton said with a laugh. “It really is just delicious chocolate.”
A smokeless option is often most comfortable to someone just starting to try cannabis, Hylton said, but edibles are also popular with users of any level.
For someone in your life struggling with sleep, Hylton suggested Sleep+, a capsule that includes both THC and a cannabinoid compound called CBN that helps with getting a better night’s rest. The product was created through a partnership between Garden Remedies and scientists at Real Isolates.
Everyone who buys the product has been surveyed on the quality of their sleep and so far, with hundreds participating since April, 85% have had a good night’s rest after using Sleep+, Garden Remedies said.
Sleep+ sells for about $30 depending on variation and location.
An option that should intrigue a more experienced cannabis user, Hylton looks at strains from the Cultivators Series, which she said are like the equivalent of gifting a wine lover a celebratory bottle of champaign. Soon, Garden Remedies will have Cease and Desist, an indica-leaning hybrid that crosses Face Off OG with Girl Scout Cookies.
Only small amounts of flower are set aside for the Cultivator Series, Hylton said, and then tend to go fast.
“Last time we sold out in just over a week,” she said. “As soon as people see it you can see that it’s markedly different. The buds are huge.”
Cease and Desist won’t be available until Dec. 27, however.
“So just save some of that Christmas money,” Hylton said. “Treat yourself, too, after you’ve treated everybody else on your list.”
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