The original bloom tender at B.C.-based Village Bloomery, Aniya attended the CannaReps budtender training program pre-regulation and is certified under the Selling it Right program. In today’s section, she answers some of the most frequently asked consumer queries.

Q. Which cannabis products do seniors gravitate towards?

Like everyone else, seniors are people with their own preferences. Some have been consuming cannabis for decades, some are getting back into it after a dry spell and others are trying it for the first time. One commonality that I’ve noticed though, is that a lot of older consumers have medical intentions when it comes to cannabis.

As someone who works in the regulated recreational cannabis market, I’m not legally allowed to have direct medical conversations with anyone but I can refer to what customers have told me about their personal experiences with cannabis products. So that’s how I’ll navigate this section.

Many seniors have come into our store claiming that topicals work great for aches and pains related to arthritis, like the 1:1 CBD: THC transdermal cream by LivRelief. CBD, THC and 1:1 ratio topicals alike are all great options for people who want to try out the physically therapeutic benefits of cannabis while opting out of psychoactivity.

Ontario Cannabis Store

Sublingual and edibles also tend to be quite popular for the same reasons. Tinctures are absorbed under the tongue, and the amount of product you consume can be very flexible; Sugarleaf’s CBD-dominant oil is a fitting example. Oil-based capsules can be an easy way to consume cannabis as they’re preset to a specific cannabinoid content and are usually long-lasting in effect. Case in point, mild THC softgels by Tweed.

Q. How do I choose the right cannabis strain?

Even seasoned consumers struggle to find a strain that hits them just right. Here are some sure-fire tips and tricks for making your smokable cannabis experience a good one.

Know your intentions

Think about what you want from your cannabis experience. Are you going on a hike with your dog? Do you want to get cozy and watch a movie? Do you want to get creative? Relax after work? Knowing this can better help you navigate what strains will or will not work for your given circumstance.

The way an individual cannabis strain smells to you is going to have the biggest impact on what your experience is going to be. PHOTO BY MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Talk to your budtender

Your budtender is likely a cannabis enthusiast. Let them know what you are looking for and don’t be shy to mention that you’re a first-timer. At our store, we encourage staff to sample new inventory and have a review form for them to fill out when they do.

The nose knows

Believe it or not, the way an individual cannabis strain smells is going to have the biggest impact on what your experience is going to be. Cannabis, like many other botanicals, contains terpenes — aromatic oils that naturally occur in cannabis and can vary based on the strain’s genetics and the plant’s growth environment. Terpenes have an effect on an individual’s system in a similar way to aromatherapy. Citrus can have a brightening effect on a person’s system, while a smell like lavender can be more relaxing. Take this into consideration when selecting your strains and take note of any flavours or smells as reference for next time.

Q. Which products can also make for holiday presents?

Amazon

Bong Appetit

A great gift for the chef in your life. Bong Appetit is a “high” end cookbook. Inside you get an intro into the how-tos of cannabis extractions and food infusion methods followed by a wide range of tasty recipes that span through dinner, snacks and deserts.

Pairs nicely with the Magical Butter Machine, the ultimate cannabis infusion machine.

Peach Pipe

This beauty is part of a series of fruit and citrus pipes by Red Eye Glass. The peach pipe comes in either a light pink or vibrant orange and is the perfect palm-sized smoking accessory for the holidays.

Fun Fact: Hemp wicks are a great accessory to use with every smokable cannabis experience as it allows you to avoid inhaling butane from your lighter, it also lowers the risk of burning your fingers when using a bong or pipe.

Golden Cannabis Leaf teacup and saucer set

Definitely a cannabis luxury item by Fashionably High. Every ceramic teacup and saucer is custom dip painted in marbled grey or pink design and covered in strategically placed metallic gold cannabis leaves.

Goes well with an infused tea like Focus 2:1 by Haven St., a vanilla Earl Grey tea blend with 10mg of CBD and 2mg of THC.

Q. Who are some top-notch cannabis producers in B.C. to look out for?

For decades B.C. grown cannabis has had a global reputation for being the best of the best. Here are my top three picks for B.C. based brands that are keeping up that reputation.

Simply Bare Organics

Simply Bare is a certified organic producer that grows and operates out of Delta, B.C. Their greenhouse-grown craft cannabis is planted in rich live soil made from ingredients like Douglas fir bark and kelp and exposed to full light spectrum LED lights that mimic the sun’s daylight rays. Every flower is hand-trimmed and hung dried for 14 days before being packaged in airtight glass jars. Simply Bare brings the quality of pre-regulated cannabis into the regulated market with fragrant terpenes and nice dense buds. They currently produce six gorgeous cultivars but my personal favorite is their B.C. Creek Congo with its piney nose and uplifting euphoric effects.

Gnomestar

This micro style producer grows with only two grow rooms at 950-square-feet. each and operates out of Delta, B.C. Master grower Mike and co-founder Dr. Earl Oliver have a heavy focus on quality and attention to detail — this can be attributed to the decade-plus of growing experience they share between them. Their flowers are hand-harvested, hang dried, cold-cured, hand-trimmed, and grown in either coco coir or nutrient-dense soil. Due to the small footprint of their operation, they are truly small-batch producers, with a finite amount of cannabis available per harvest, so get em’ while they’re hot! Gnomestar currently has top-notch three cultivars available but the shining star, according to me, is the Meat Breath, with its full purple-tinged buds and sweet, floral, earthy notes.

Doja

This certified organic producer is based in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. Understanding that every cannabis strain is different, each of their three cultivars is grown in a specially designed customized growth environment, a specific nutrient regiment and pruned with different techniques. To avoid harmful pesticides, Doja uses beneficial insects like ladybugs to exterminate unwanted pests like spider mites or aphids. This is a classic old technique that’s been used by cannabis farmers for years and it’s great to see it being carried through into the current industry.

Tweed

Like my other top picks, they integrate the human element into their harvest by hand trimming every plant after it’s been hang dried and cured. Doja currently has three beautiful cultivars in their roster, if I were to pick their Cold Creek Cush phenotype “Elation” would be my personal favourite. It’s got a deep earthy and slightly minty smell to it and a nice heavy body effect that’s perfect for relaxing with a hot cup of tea.

Q. Some licensed producers that have good bang for your buck?

I believe that good quality cannabis should be accessible to everyone. Here are some legal brands that I recommend.

Redecan

A family-owned and operated business with 30 years of agricultural knowledge under its belt, Redecan has been operating out of the Niagara escarpment in Ontario, they are a licensed medical producer under ACMPR. Redecan has a wide range of affordable product options spanning from dried flowers and pre-rolled 10 packs to tinctures and capsules. Check out their 420 mg CBD tincture, their 15-pack of 5 mg THC capsules, and their Wappa 10-pack of pre-rolls.

Ontario Cannabis Store

THC Biomed

This medical-based producer had a goal of making sustainable, organic cannabis accessible to the masses. Grown and produced in Kelowna, B.C., THC Biomed mostly focuses on flower production with six strains available to the recreational market. Their one exception to their flower cultivation is their first beverage, the 10 mg THC Kiss liquid shot THC Biomed branding offers a nostalgic call back to the pre-regulated cannabis market, with flowers that offer the quality of the pre-regulated industry. I recommend trying the THC CBD Biomed, which is a 2:1 CBD to THC ratio flower that offers a nice balance of relaxation and productivity.

Pure Sun Farms

Pure Sun Farms has been growing and cultivating in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley for 25 years. Working closely with the land for so long has its perks, the team has been collecting environmental data from the region for over a decade and applies that knowledge to their crops on a plant by plant basis. As their name implies their greenhouse uses the light, heat and energy from the sun to customize the growth environments of their crops.  They have a wide range of products spanning from dried flower in various quantities, pre-rolls, seeds, vape cartridges and CBD tinctures.

This story is a part of The GrowthOp’s weekly series, Ask A Budtender.