In 2016, provisions for ‘micro’ and ‘cottage’ cannabis licensing in California’s legalization bill were the first to enact laws for ‘craft’ cannabis. Massachusetts followed suit just one month later. Several other states have enacted their own microbusiness provisions, including Ohio and Illinois, but in each case the rollout has been very slow. The best places to find quality craft cannabis right now include Maine, State, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, and Oklahoma. But what exactly is craft cannabis? What should consumers should be looking for as the craft sector builds momentum?
Craft Breweries vs Craft Cannabis
When we’re considering the future of the market for craft cannabis, it’d be helpful to consider how the craft brewery scene has evolved. Looking at the annual sales increases for craft beer, it comes as no surprise that producers are scrambling to win over craft consumers, but it’s still hard to say exactly what that means for the cannabis industry. According to the Brewer’s Association, a craft brewer is a “small and independent brewer” that has at least 75 percent ownership by craft brewers. In places like Washington State, you’ll find as many supposedly ‘small’ cannabis brands on shelves as ever. According to the producers I’ve spoken to, however, they’re increasingly owned by a small group of industry heavyweights.
There’s a lot to be said about sales volume and ownership, but we think it’s helpful to envision craft cannabis in two different ways. First, when it comes to small and independent, we’re looking for management that has enough hands-on experience with cultivation and processing to produce their products from start to finish. They know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. For an experienced craft producer, being in control of the whole process means they can make adjustments on-the-fly to protect their bottom line without sacrificing the quality of products.
Craft Cannabis Lounges
The second aspect of craft cannabis is on-site consumption and sales, which many of us have become familiar with as craft brewers and distillers have exploded in popularity over the last decade. The Brewer’s Association denotes differences between microbreweries, brewpubs, and taprooms. When it comes to cannabis, though, we’re talking about farms where you can purchase and consume products, or farms that sell to local lounges or farmer’s markets. The problem is that simply writing these things into law hasn’t been enough to make them a reality. In places without effective craft cultivation laws, would-be operators are stuck in licensing purgatory while they wait for things to change.
In some cases, that means paying bills on facilities that aren’t in use. That’s one more challenge for the small producers competing against large operations for dispensary shelf space. There’s more than one way to make things work, but for many craft producers, ‘sustainability’ has become more than just a buzzword in the emerging market. When it comes to farming of all types, the first principle of sustainability isn’t protecting the environment or finding alternatives to pesticides because none of that matters if the business isn’t profitable. Sustainability really starts with making ends meet.
Craft Cannabis Grows Their Own Genetics
One of the staples of any craft product is having a unique and innovative offering that consumers can’t get from anyone else. When it comes to craft cannabis, that means choosing the right genetics is just as important as knowing how to grow them. There’s no better way to get things right than to do them yourself, and is a mark that distinguishes a craft cultivator.
Craft producers likely aren’t growing Gelato, using Athena nutrients on rockwool cubes, or measuring success by pounds per light in an oversized multimillion dollar greenhouse. These farmers aren’t rushing to fill their canopy allotment because they want to spend more time perfecting what they already do instead of spreading themselves too thin.
Whether or not a person cares about exotic terpenes or not, standing up for craft cannabis producers isn’t just a way to ensure we can all enjoy better weed, it feels like a place to foster our hope and imagination for a world we can be more proud of taking part in. And right now, that seems priceless.