Blue Dream, Purple Haze, Girl Scout Cookies, Red Headed Stranger, Acapulco Gold, Fruity Pebbles or Pineapple Express… all classic strain names and all of them meaningless.

“Strain names are absolutely misleading with considerable variation in the same cannabinoid content among different specimens of the same strain. You can get the same color and the same smell, but actually levels of the THC and CBD and some of the other compounds could be quite different,” says Robin Marles, Ph.D., chair of the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines Expert Committee.

Although every industry in North America has been touched in some way by the spread of COVID, many cannabis and CBD companies saw their revenues increase when the pandemic began to escalate in the United States in March 2020, a time when other businesses struggled to survive.

With every passing day and every new bit of legislation passed, more products containing CBD hit the shelves. Word is out that cannabinoids have real and lasting benefits, particularly when it comes to troubleshooting some of the most persistent maladies plaguing consumers today, including anxiety, insomnia, and pain. Word is also out that not all CBD products are created equal, and that the potency promised on packaging may not be an accurate reflection of the product within.

Let’s be honest, 2020 sucked for everyone. Okay, everyone not named Bezos, Musk, or Zuckerberg. But when the going gets tough, the tough get… stoned?

Cannabis sales were up 38 percent from last year, as many of us have hunkered down at home with whatever helps us handle the stresses of the day: our favorite foods, TV shows we still haven’t binged, and yes, even our cannabis of choice. Well, we now have more options than ever, and with that in mind, here are some of my favorite stocking-stuffers to put 2020 behind us and hope for a better 2021.

For the Socially Conscious

Wyllow Flower

There are many reasons to include a cannabis-inspired cocktail at your holiday mixer this year.

Whether it’s an intimate gathering or virtual happy-hour, cannabis cocktails are becoming increasingly popular.

And luckily, the best place to start experimenting with cannabis-infused cocktails is right in your own home.

Here are three easy cannabis infused cocktails that you can make at home, specially crafted by Chief Innovation Officer Austin Stevenson of Vertosa, a premier cannabis and hemp technology company.

Vertosa infuses dozens of beverages, topicals, and other brands’ products with THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids.

Jazzed & Infused 

Ingredients:

Many non-contagious ailments cause millions of deaths worldwide. Unfortunately, tobacco addiction stands among the top triggers of such diseases. Each year, over seven million people die of tobacco-related complications. In the US alone, more than 40 million adults have a nicotine addiction. Worse yet, tobacco addiction therapies don’t seem to be efficient, for the most part.

Even during a pandemic, 'tis the season of giving and gifting loved ones with cannabis seems to be the latest holiday trend. That finding is from a new poll conducted by Glass House Group, a California-based cannabis and hemp company, which runs several dispensaries and a couple of grow sites.

The Post Office is backed up, mall Santas far and wide are doling out Christmas cheer from inside plastic bubbles, and the conundrum of what to gift someone who has quite likely been through one of the hardest years of their life (spoiler: that’s almost all of us) are making holiday shopping a real conundrum this year. According to a new consumer poll conducted by vertically integrated cannabis and hemp company Glass House Group, a significant number of customers will be rising to the Covid Christmas challenge by giving the gift of cannabis.

The holidays are around the corner; 2020 isn’t over.

It’s time to get all the presents ordered and wrapped under the tree. Cannabis & Tech Today did the leg work and found gifts to satisfy all your CBD needs.

Sträva Craft CBD Coffee

Sträva is available in K-Cups, whole or ground beans, and comes in a wide range of dosages and flavors.

The company’s mission is “to enrich the lives of its customers by delivering extraordinary products, meaningful experiences, and to make a positive impact on the health and well being of customers around the world.”