Legal pot leads to green Christmas

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/12/2018 (1954 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bring a bud for your brother, grab some ganja for granny, decorate a doobie for dad or wrap some wacky tabacky for your wife.

Whatever your weed, it’s beginning to look a lot like a green Christmas for the first festive season with legalized cannabis.

“That is a trend that we’re seeing. People are coming in and, often, they’re purchasing something for themselves and purchasing something for somebody else,” said Deanna Garand, manager of the Tokyo Smoke store in Winnipeg’s Exchange District.

“They’ll do theirs first, and get a little treat for somebody else.”

A recent cross-Canada survey by Lift & Co., a cannabis issues online magazine, reported one in 10 Canadians plans to give cannabis as a gift this Christmas.

Manitobans and Albertans rated the most likely to give cannabis, as 12 per cent of Manitobans surveyed said they were planning to give someone a merry marijuana Christmas.

Garand said people are stopping by the store to prep for seasonal parties.

“We’re very big on pre-rolls (marijuana already rolled into joints or cigarettes) at our location,” Garand said. “The way that we’re comparing it is like bringing a bottle of wine to a party at holiday time. People will buy some pre-rolls to bring and have some options (different types of product) for people to try and experience and explore with.”

The Lift & Co. survey found men were twice as likely to gift cannabis: 14 per cent of men and seven per cent of women said they would give cannabis as gifts this holiday season.

“Definitely. It’s just something different. It’s fun and it’s legal,” said Eric, 44, a customer who did not want his last name published. “I’m not a big fan of alcohol consumption and I’m not really interested in that. You can’t get anything done when you’re inebriated from alcohol, but whereas you can still do stuff if you’re stoned.”

He noted he would caution anyone to whom he gave cannabis to consume it safely and driving while high is illegal.

Among millennials ages 18 to 34, 20 per cent of those surveyed said they would gift cannabis. That number was almost double of all the other age groups combined.

Since recreational cannabis was legalized nationally Oct. 17, Garand said people are investigating more ways to consume it than smoking it and other effects it may have for people than just a high.

“Now that we’re getting more mature into legalization, a lot of people are really interested in the benefits of it for people in their lives that they care about. They want to give them alternative ways to mitigate problems or for their health,” she said.

Garand said accessories and other products, such as the Levo oil-infusing machine that is popular with cooking enthusiasts, are being purchased along with cannabis for holiday gift-giving.