Marijuana Business Magazine - March 2018

attachment that can accommodate loose concentrate as well. By the end of the “Road Trip,” the calendar reveals both a custom quarter-gram cartridge of high- terpene oil from Puffin Farms as well as a half-gram of Dope Cup Award- winning BHO from Solstice. The idea is that even if you haven’t previously used a concentrate, the calendar ultimately provides you with everything you need to try them out. Designed to be a satisfying progression on its own, the thoughtful curation goes a step further, Holder said. “We try to imagine not only what gets a calendar out the door, but what happens in the life of our customer afterward,” he said. “By selecting a dab that is high enough in THC to be enjoyable as a recreational experience – but even more rich in CBD – we can help ensure that the first dab someone takes will be deeply pleasant but not overwhelmingly intense. Conversely, Hindu Kush, the strain selected for the cartridge, provides a very heavy, com- forting effect so that the experience is satisfying with a relatively low number of puffs. “At the end of the day, it’s the experi- ence and the memories a customer have that really build a bond with your brand,” Holder said. “So, don’t just consider how your deals look in the store. Consider how they will feel when they’re actually being enjoyed.” Educate, Educate, Educate Education is another tool for encouraging consumers to choose the regulated market. It’s critical for con- sumers to know that product purchased on the regulated market is tested for quality and safety. Aloha Green and Steep Hill Labs, a Hawaii cannabis testing facility, sponsor events together that educate consumers about cannabinoid testing and testing for harmful materials – such as yeast, mold, heavy metals or pesticides – in the state’s regulated cannabis. Patient consultants at Aloha Green’s dispensary also educate patients about the state’s rigorous testing processes, safety standards and the benefits of cannabis. “That’s a level of transparency you don’t get from the black market,”Cho said. Education also is a priority for Can- naCraft’s extensive product lineup, said Hunter, the co-CEO. “Our strategy for competing with the black market is similar to what we’ve done to compete with inferior products in the existing market place,”Hunter added. “We have spent a great deal of time laying out the differences in strain effects, the medicinal benefits of indi- vidual terpenes and the benefits of the various applications.” CannaCraft also educates consumers on the pesticides or additives that may contaminate black-market product. “Once the customer knows why a product is being offered for a cheaper price, a lot of the time the inferior prod- uct becomes much less appealing and the customer is willing to pay more for a safe and effective product,”Hunter said. Education around infused products and extractions is also critical, particu- larly because those products amount to about half the regulated market’s sales in Colorado, said Kevin Gallagher, the executive director of Colorado’s Cannabis Business Alliance, which creates print materials on safe consumption as well as edible and concentrate dosing for dispen- saries to share with consumers. Whether extracts are manufactured with butane or CO2, they’re safer when they’re produced for the regulated market by trained professionals, Gallagher said – and it’s important for that information to be shared with consumers. Black-market producers don’t pay for testing, compliance or adequate technol- ogy to create safe extractions. And butane- based extractions that aren’t in properly ventilated spaces compromise the product and create a safety hazard, he said. In Colorado, solvent-based infused products are tested for potency and residual solvents, and water-based concentrates are tested for potency and microbials.Those tests ensure consistent, safe products make it to market, Gal- lagher said. “With the regulated market, you get the assurance of a safe product,” he said. “It goes through more testing than your grapes at the local grocery store.” ◆ Kevin Gallagher is executive director of Colorado’s Cannabis Business Alliance. Photo courtesy of the Cannabis Business Alliance Dennis Hunter is co-founder and co-CEO of California’s CannaCraft. Photo courtesy of Jon Lohne 54 • Marijuana Business Magazine • March 2018